Edge of a Revolution
by Jack Cross
Summary: Republic City is on the brink. The Triads rule with terror, the Equalists are on the rise, and the Police seem powerless to stop them. Amongst it all, a shadowy assassin is terrorizing the streets and leaving bodies in his wake. But things change when a vigilante emerges and the Avatar arrives. Will they work together to save the city, or become mortal enemies?
1. Prologue

**So I've had this story in the works for sometime now and decided that it was time to share it. Hopefully you guys will find this enjoyable, honestly I'm kind of surprised that there haven't been very many stories on here with this kind of concept. But then again there is the possibility that I missed one somewhere.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra in any way, shape, or form. If I did, I'd be a very wealthy man.**

 _My name is Lee Feilong. Six years ago, thugs from the Triple Threat Triad killed my mother during a bank robbery gone bad. I never knew my father, so it was just me out on the streets then. I vowed revenge against those who took my mother from me. But a non bender like myself can't hope to take on members of a bending triad in a straight fight and win._

 _So I left Republic City, traveling to a small island in the outskirts of the Fire Nation. There, I found the last bastion of the Yuyan Archers, a group of the world's most elite non bending fighters. For years I trained under them, learning how to move quickly and quietly, how to stay undetected, and how to fight._

 _Now, after six long years, I'm coming home to teach the Triads a lesson. This city is not theirs, and I will remind them of that each and every day that they try to threaten and harm innocent people. My actions will no doubt turn the police against me, but that is a risk I am willing to take. I've been an outcast my whole life, and what I am about to do won't change that. If Lin Beifong or Lightning Bolt Zolt think I'll go down without a fight, they both have another thing coming._

 _My name is Lee Feilong, and this is my story:_

The evening sun was shining through a light fog. It's light gleamed off of the skyscrapers of downtown Republic City, making them shine in the distance like great towers of diamond. In Yue Bay, a large fishing boat was sailing into the harbor. On the bow, a young man with brown hair and untrimmed beard stood with a steaming cup of tea clasped in his hands.

"A great view, don't you think?" the boat's Captain asked.

"There's no place like home," he replied before taking a sip of his drink. He made a face at the drink's taste before tossing what was left in his cup overboard. The Captain laughed at the gesture.

"The cook's tea isn't the Jasmine Dragon's, but it warms you up after twelve hours of being on deck in a winter storm," he said before casting a glance back toward the city.

"Has anything changed in the city?" the young man asked.

"How should I know, Mr. Feilong? We only stay in port long enough to sell our catch and resupply for the next trip," the Captain replied before he turned away. Feilong continued to admire the city's view until the boat pulled into a dock. Saying his thanks to the crew, he grabbed his belongings which consisted of a single rucksack and a drop bag before he hopped from the boat and set off into the city.

It didn't take him long to find a small shop called Chin's Repair. It was a low three story brick building with the shop taking up the ground floor. The place worked on clocks, radios, metalbender gear, but it was the sign in the window that advertised an apartment for rent that caught his attention. As he opened the door to the shop, a bell above the door gave a hollow ding.

"Welcome to Chin's Repair, how can I help you?" an aging man with a receding hair line and spectacles that stood behind the counter asked. Feilong lowered his bag to the floor and flexed his fingers to get some feeling back.

"I was walking past and I saw that you had an apartment for rent."

"That's right, you got money to pay for it? It's two hundred a month." Feilong dug into his pocket and pulled out a pink wad of yuans before he set it on the counter.

"Two hundred upfront, plus a little something extra for privacy and no questions asked," he said as he set a small metal ingot next to the money. Chin picked up the ingot and turned it over in his hands before he flexed his fingers. The look of surprise on the man's face was clear when the ingot didn't react.

"Platinum?" Feilong shook his head.

"Much rarer. Sozinite," he said. Chin's eyebrows went up in surprise again. Sozinite was an incredibly rare metal, sought after for it's pureness and it's strength. The only known source of the metal was the occasional chunk that broke off of Sozin's Comet, hence the name.

"Son, if this is what you say it is, you can have the whole place for six months rent and question free," Chin said. Feilong nodded as he picked up his bag and rucksack again.

"May I see the place?" he asked. Chin nodded as he collected the bills and the ingot.

"Sure. It's upstairs, stairs are in the back." The shopowner turned and headed into the back room behind the counter, motioning over his shoulder for Feilong to follow. Gears, wires, and various bits of equipment and grease coated junk lay scattered around workshop. Based upon this first look, Feilong guessed that Chin either had a lot of business, or wasn't a very organized man in the first place.

"You're fresh off of the boat aren't you Mr...?" Chin asked as he began to undo a set of locks on a simple wooden door at the back of the shop.

"Feilong, Lee Feilong. What makes you say that?"

"People who go looking for an apartment in the middle of Triad territory are either new in town or crazier then a shirshu in a perfume factory. So which is it?" Lee readjusted his bags as Chin finally got the door open. Inside was a small entrance way with a door leading into an ally on the right and a flight of wooden stairs to the left.

"I'm actually a native, but I've been out of town for a few years on a hunting trip," Lee said.

"That explains the beard, kids your age don't have much in the way of facial hair these days," Chin said as he led the way up the stairs, which made a sudden ninety degree turn to the left before they came to a halt at a faded door. The shopkeeper turned to his key chain again, unlocking and opening the apartment door before passing him the key.

Like the stairway, the apartment was faded, rundown, and covered with dust from time unused. On the left sat a small stove, a refrigerator, a few cabinets, and a small round table. In the far corner, beneath a pair of large windows was a narrow bed and a desk.

"It's not much," Chin said as Lee brushed past into the apartment.

"It's perfect," he replied as he sat his bags on the table. The sound of a chime echoed up the stairs, indicating that the shop had a visitor. Chin muttered something about having to tend to the shop and turned away, leaving the new tenant alone. Lee waited until the shopkeeper's footsteps reached the bottom of the stairs before he unzipped his drop bag.

Contained within was the disassembled arms and body of a black recurve bow, along with a quiver full of arrows. With expert ease, he assembled the bow. He gave it a few twists in his hand in order to test the balance before he turned to his rucksack. Unlike the rest of the bag, which was a faded gray and hand stitched, the main draw sting was black. Detaching the string from the rest of the pack, he bent the bow against his leg and attached the cable to the bow, completing his assembling of the weapon.

With a few experimental tugs on the string, he laid the bow on the table before he closed the door. It was usually frowned upon to be seen carrying a weapon within the city, even in Triad territory, hence his smuggling of the bow. Turning back to the apartment, he opened a few vents in the floor in an effort to get a small breeze going. Years of being locked closed had left the room with an unpleasant musty smell.

As he turned to begin looking for a broom closet, he noticed that he could hear voices from the shop below, and realized that the vents were little more then holes in the floor. He made a mental note of this before returning to his search, the business of his new land lord's shop mattered little to him.

"I've already made my payment this month! How do you expect my shop to stay in business if you damn triads keep draining me dry?!"

"Lightning Bolt Zolt doesn't care about your little shop, only about the money you owe him." Lee froze at the voices and listened closely. Chin's shop may not have mattered to him, but the dealings of the Triads did.

"Listen, all I've got is two hundred Yuan, it's yours, take it. If you got anything broken, bring it in and I can fix it as part of my payment."

"There's gonna be a lot of broken things to fix if you don't cough up what you owe us, old man." There was the sound of something crashing to the floor, followed closely by the sound of shattering glass.

"How am I suppose to keep paying you if you bust up my shop?!" Chin shouted, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"You know what, Ping? He's right. Let's see if the old man has a health insurance policy," a new voice spoke up.

"No," a third voice spoke, "that won't be necessary will it Mr. Chin? I'm sure we can reach a compromise."

"Yes, yes, we can. Listen I can get you the money, all I need is a few days for some of my clients to pay off their debts," Chin said, his voice sounding desperate. Lee had heard all he needed to hear. No one knew of his true reasoning behind his arrival in the city. He was here to teach the Triads a lesson, one that the police couldn't seem to do.

Reaching into his rucksack, Lee produced a dark gray hood. It was hand stitched together from what appeared to be tarp and scraps of cloth. Sliding the hood on over his head, he shot a quick glance into a small mirror in the bathroom. Like he had hoped, the hood covered the vast majority of his face, hiding his identity.

Grabbing up his bow and the quiver, Lee slipped out one of the windows and onto a fire escape. Below him, a red and gold satomobile sat in the alleyway, waiting on the trio of triad members that were in the shop. It's engine rumbled, which cast an echo off of the brick alleyway walls. A fourth Triad member, the group's wheel man, was sitting in the driver's seat as he waited on his friends.

Picking up a loose brick from the windowsill, Lee let it dangle over the side of the fire escape before simply letting go. The red rectangle plummeted downward and smashed through the satomobile's windshield.

"What the hell?" the driver shouted as he bolted out of the car. He was silenced as an arrow struck him in the shoulder, sending him sprawling into a set of trashcans. The driver never knew what hit him. Lee readied another arrow and perched himself on the fire escape's railing, waiting for the other triad members like a hawk waiting for a mouse to show itself.

He didn't have to wait long. Three men rounded the corner into the alleyway, laughing amongst themselves. The shadows of the alleyway did a perfect job concealing his position.

"What the...what happened to our wheels?!" The leader of the trio shouted when he took notice of the shattered windshield. Lee watched, and waited as the triad members walked deeper into the alley, their hands ready to bend should they be attacked. He picked his target, a pale skinned man wearing black and a red scarf. Taking a breath in through his nose, he drew back on the bow and took careful aim.

"Oh Spirits, Ming!" the triad leader shouted, having spotted the body of the driver. At that moment, Lee released his arrow. The man in his sights screamed in pain as the arrow struck him in the foot, pinning him to the spot.

"Ping!" the triad leader shouted, his hand flying toward the waterskin kept beneath his jacket. He didn't get far as a second arrow tore the skin from his side and pinned it to the wall behind him.

"Let's get out of here!" the third triad member shouted as he raced forward, grabbing the still wailing Ping and throwing him into the vehicle. Lee watched as the now panicking triads scrambled into the car, trying to get away from their attacker. With a graceful leap, he fell and landed on the car's hood in a crouch before taking aim at the triad members with his bow. He silenced the screaming men as he drew the arrow back. Confident he now had their attention, he grinned under the hood.

"You will deliver a message for me."

 **So there it is, the prologue. Please feel free to review and let me know what you liked, didn't like, and take a guess as to what will happen next.**


	2. Fresh Off The Boat

**Well here it is, the official start of the story. Hopefully y'all will find this entertaining.**

 **A/N: A few of you that reviewed were concerned that this is going to be a Batman/Green Arrow crossover or rip off. Rest assured that if my intention had been to have a crossover, this would be in the crossover section. There may be some similar concepts sure, but then again they're the ORIGINAL vigilantes. They've seen it all, done it all, and ate a box of cookies.**

Lin Beifong rested against the wall, her arms folded across her chest as she waited. She was standing in the middle of Republic City Hospital, silently waiting on a piece of evidence. The Hospital had called the Police when a Triad member had been brought into the emergency room with an arrow in his foot. Ordinarily, something like this would be grunt work. But the unusual of the weapon coupled with recent events had made her take a personal interest.

"Here's what we've been waiting on, Chief," Saikhan said as he approached her. Cradled in his hands was a white towel with various stains of red. Contained within the towel was a flat, razor sharp broad arrowhead and part of a metal shaft. The dark gray metal was still stained red with the Triad member's blood.

"What do we know?" Lin asked as she carefully took the piece of evidence and studied it.

"Well the victim won't say anything to the cops. But the doctor had to amputate three of his toes in order to get this out. The metal is highly refined, unbendable. We also found the scene where the attack took place. It's an alleyway down by the docks, we found the body of one Ming Luzon, killed with an arrow to the shoulder." Saikhan reported as the two began to walk. Lin turned the arrowhead over in her hands, trying to get a look at it from all angles.

"So someone has a beef with four Triple Threat thugs, kills one, sticks another, and then what? Gets cold feet and let's the rest of them go?"

"An amateur, perhaps?"

"Archery is a rare, almost extent art. It takes years to master. This wasn't someone trying to show off and make a name for themselves, no, this person knows what they're doing."

"Do you think it could be him?" Lin paused and gave Saikhan a hard look.

"Arrows don't fit The Blade's MO. He prefers surgical strikes with a sword, not arrows."

"And he never leaves more then one survivor," Saikhan finished. The Blade was a sore topic for all police officers, and a thorn in the city's side in general. He was an assassin that operated out of the shadows for an unknown employer, earning his name for his almost surgical like strike with a bladed weapon. High ranking Triad members, undercover Police Officers, and key witnesses all had graced his hit list.

"No, Saikhan. What we have here is something new. Have your men keep their ear to the ground for anything even remotely related to an archer. I'll not have some bow wielding vigilante tearing this city apart."

"You got it, Chief."

 _Triple Threat Triad Headquarters._

Lightning Bolt Zolt sighed as he leaned forward on the table. He had been enjoying a quiet, peaceful meal before his men had come in bearing the bad news.

"So one guy in a hood is able to best four benders, how exactly?"

"He came out of nowhere boss, killed Ming and stuck Ping with an arrow. Had the rest of us dead to rights with his bow," one of the triad thugs explained.

"And this ruthless killer spared you because?"

"He wanted us to deliver a message to you, boss. He said he was coming for you, for all of us. That there's nothing we can do to stop him. That we won't even see him coming." In the blink of an eye, Zolt had sprung from his seat and slammed the thug's face into the table. Using his fist, he formed a blade of fire and pressed it to the thug's cheek, causing the man to scream in pain.

"You little coward, you should have stood your ground and fought. At least then your honor would still be intact," Zolt said before he turned his attention to the rest of his men.

"Listen up! No one threatens the Triple Treats and gets away with it. Put a bounty out on this hood guy, and if any of you act like a coward again, a little burn will be the least of your worries," Zolt said as he released his hold on the thug, allowing the man to fall to the floor and whimper in pain.

"Get this coward out of my sight. And get me some more crab rangoon."

 _Lee's Apartment._

Lee stared into the bathroom mirror as he carefully ran a razor down his jaw line. A faint cloud of steam wafted up from the running facet as he scrapped away the last remnants of his beard. Looking himself over, he turned off the water and set to drying himself off.

' _Spirits, I look like I'm fifteen.'_

The Police had been by and questioned both him and Chin regarding the Triads that had been attacked in the alley. Lee just played the part of an innocent immigrant having freshly arrived in the city, and the police didn't even look at him twice. Now confident that he was clear of the list of suspects, he was ready to get started.

Lee dressed himself casually, a gray shirt, brown trousers, and a pair of brown calf high boots. He was going job hunting today. Being a vigilante may have had its perks, but it didn't put food on the table. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a short metal cylinder before he slid it up his sleeve. With extra care and attention, he hid a small double edged blade in his right boot. Just because he wasn't going out with a hood didn't mean he was going into Triad territory unarmed.

Double checking his appearance one last time in the mirror, Lee turned and walked out of the apartment, stopping only to lock the door behind him. He made his way down the stairs, out into the alley, and set off into the city. Job hunting wasn't the only thing he was doing today. After six years of being away, he needed to reacquaint himself with the city.

That, and walking around was the only way that he knew of to gather intelligence on the Triad's street level operations. Sure enough, less then five minutes after leaving his place, Lee spotted a dealer leaning against a lamp post on a street corner.

"Hey buddy, you wanna buy some juice?" the man asked, opening his jacket to revel several syringes filled with a yellowish green liquid. Lee knew the stuff well. Refined Cactus Juice, a drug that had flooded the streets years ago, and no doubt had lined Lightning Bolt Zolt's pockets with cash.

"No thanks, maybe some other time," he said as he walked past, his hands in his pockets. The drug problem was just one of the symptoms the Triads had on the city. Lee didn't hold any illusions that taking out a few drug dealers or thugs out on collections would change things. But if he followed the money back to the Triad's headquarters, it would lead him somewhere that he could do some damage and make a difference.

As he walked, Lee noticed something that made him pause. It was poster that someone had stuck to a wall, depicting a man in a mask holding his hand aloft along with the words 'Amon calls non benders to action, join the Equalists today'. The young man studied the poster with a puzzled frown on his face. He had never heard of the Equalists, although he hadn't been back in the city that long.

Taking the poster down, Lee carefully tucked it into his pocket for study at a later time. The idea of an equal share between benders and non benders appealed to him. There were hundreds of jobs here in the city that were not available to him simply because he wasn't a bender. The Triads preyed on non benders for mugging and extortion simply because there was little chance of a non bender fighting back.

"Look out!" the shout brought Lee out of his thoughts just in time for him to register the moped slamming into him. The force of the hit sent him sprawling, leaving him dazed and in pain.

 _'Idiot! How are you suppose to fight bending triads if you can't even dodge a moped?'_

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" Lee groaned as he sat up and rubbed his side. As near as he could tell, he didn't have any broken bones.

"I'm alright," he said as he looked up to face the person who had just run him over. She was young, about his age if he had to guess, with long raven black hair, pale skin, and light green eyes. All in all, Lee thought she was beautiful.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," she said as she cradled her helmet in the crook of her arm.

"No, no it's my fault. I had my head in the clouds and walked out into the street," Lee said as he stood and dusted himself off.

"I feel guilty about this. My name is Asami, let me buy you lunch."

"That's really not necessary..."

"I insist. What's your name?"

"Lee."

"Well Lee, do you have any preferences on where you want to eat?" Lee rubbed the back of his neck, realizing that he wasn't getting out of this.

"Well, there's a little hole in the wall place not to far from here that I haven't been to in a while. We could go there," he said. Asami beamed.

"It's a date!" Her cheeks instantly flushed red as she realized her choice of words, "I mean, not a date date, but, er...well." Lee couldn't help but chuckle as he held a hand up.

"Come on, before you stutter me out of a meal," he said with grin.

 _Jin's Dojo. Twenty minutes later._

"So what are you doing in this part of the city, anyway?" Lee asked. The two were sitting in a booth, eating their own respective bowl of noddles. Asami shrugged.

"I go out and wander the streets sometimes."

"And flatten random pedestrians with a moped?"

"That one is actually a first." The two of them chuckled at that.

"What about you? What had your head in the clouds so far that you just wandered out into the street?" Asami asked. Lee reached into his pocket and pulled out the Equalist poster before unfolding it and sliding it across the table. Asami picked it up and looked it over before setting it back down.

"Thinking about joining those weirdos?" she asked. Lee shrugged.

"I'm not sure yet. I only just got into the city yesterday, and I've never heard of them until today," he said.

"All I know about them is that they protest anything related to bending. Pro-Bending matches, the Triads, even the Police."

"What's your opinion of them?"

"Personally I don't agree with them. I mean look at me, I'm a non bender and I don't hold a grudge against someone because they can throw an element around and I can't. Besides, who doesn't like to see six people beat the crap out of each other in the Pro-Bending Ring? You'd think that at least they'd enjoy that," she said.

"For some people it'll never be enough, I guess."

"Okay, so if you just heard about these people today, what were you really doing?"

"Curious much?" he asked as he ate another mouthful of noodles.

"I flattened you with my moped, the least I can do is know what you were doing," she said. Lee sat in silence for a moment as he finished chewing his food and returned the poster to his pocket.

"If you must know, I'm out looking for job," he said.

"A job?"

"Yeah, we all gotta eat and pay the bills somehow."

"It's just that you look so young, if you don't mind me saying. I thought you'd still be in school or with your parents or something," Asami said with a frown. Lee cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Just how old do you think I am?"

"I don't know, Fifteen? Sixteen?"

"Try Nineteen. I knew I shouldn't have gone for a clean shave, I'm too baby faced." Asami couldn't help but smile at that.

"Tell you what, Lee, I'll make you a deal. If you pay for my bowl of noodles, I'll get you that job your looking for."

"I thought this was payback for you running me over?"

"You know the old saying; 'give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for life'," Asami said as she quickly wrote something down on a napkin, "Be at this address at Ten AM tomorrow morning." Lee took the napkin as it was slid to him and looked it over while Asami stood and picked up her helmet from the booth seat.

"Ten AM huh?"

"On the dot, and don't be late. See you tomorrow, Lee," Asami said before she turned and walked out. Lee watched her go before he looked back at the napkin again. It couldn't hurt to check it out, and it was more of a lead on a job then he had all morning.

"That's one nice piece of eye candy you got there," the bartender said. Lee let out a grunt.

"She ain't mine. I only just met her, don't even know her last name," he said. The bartender made a shrugging motion with his shoulders.

"I'm just sayin' kid, if I were in your shoes, I'd be trying to get her under my arm before it's too late." Lee rolled his eyes as he stood with his bowl and sat at the bar. Between looking for a day job and how he was spending his nights, he wouldn't have any time for a girlfriend. Besides, he had only just met Asami a half hour ago.

"Bring me a cup of Sake and another bowl," he said as he fished out a few yuans and laid them on the bar. By the time he finished his noodles and drink, he had already decided that he would go and see what the mysterious raven haired girl had to offer.

 _Republic City Docks, warehouse number nine. Evening._

Lee hurried along the warehouse roof in a hunched over manner. His bow had an arrow nocked and at the ready as he went. To his left ran a length of windows that gave him a view of the warehouse floor below. What appeared to be just another waterfront warehouse was in fact one of the largest labs used to produce Refined Cactus Juice.

Below, Triad workers were juicing fresh cactus brought in from the desert before adding in several chemicals that made the already hallucinogenic drug even more so, and highly addictive. Men wearing protective clothing mixed and shook the yellow green liquid in beakers like they were chemists. It was here that the vast majority of the Triple Threat Triad's source of the drug was produced and flooded into the city.

Lee had spent the rest of his afternoon tracking this place down, following the drug from the dealers, to the dealers' dealers, to the makers, and then here. All of Lightning Bolt Zolt's drug supply came through this warehouse. Taking out a few dealers on the street wouldn't change anything. There would just be a new guy in his place by the same time the next day.

But if Lee took this place out, that could be a real game changer.

It would cripple the Triad's drug industry, thereby lowering the amount of drugs on the street. It would also cost them thousands in yuans on losses, and thousands more just to rebuild the place. But what was probably most important, it would show Zolt and the city that he meant business.

Finding a window that was open to allow a breeze into the warehouse, Lee paused to pull a dark gray scarf up over his nose and mouth. The hood did well to hide his face in most lighting situations, but there were going to be times where that wasn't enough, and he would need to protect his identity more thoroughly. With the scarf covering the lower half of his face, and the hood covering the majority of his head, the only thing visible was his eyes.

Slipping in through the window, Lee clung to the shadows like a rat. He was on a catwalk that lined the majority of the warehouse. The flood lamps that primary lit the building hung just below the catwalk, making his perch one of the darkest lit places in the entire warehouse. Below him, a secondary catwalk ran, running the perimeter of the room as well as crossing the warehouse with two intersecting paths.

The catwalk that Lee was on was one that was used just for opening the windows that were up this high in the building. The secondary one was the reserved primarily for warehouse workers to do their business, or in this case, for Triad thugs to guard and oversee the operation.

"For funding such a large part of their structure, they sure have this place understaffed on guards," Lee said to himself as he took a quick count of his opposition. On the catwalk below there were two waterbenders and two firebenders doing regular rounds, below them were two more benders of unknown denomination patrolling the warehouse floor, probably earthbenders knowing the Triple Threats. Further study of the warehouse reviled a large stock of fuel drums, used to power the warehouse generators as well as store the finished product.

Drawing back his arrow, Lee took careful aim at the first waterbender, and then let the arrow fly. It struck the man in the middle of his back, sending him tumbling over the side of the catwalk with a scream. In a flash, Lee had cleared the catwalk's railing with a single bound and he landed behind the second waterbender. Using the end of his bow like the crook of a cane, Lee gripped the man by the neck and sent him tumbling over the side as well.

"That's him, the one Zolt put a bounty on!"

"Sound the alarm, we're under attack!" Lee drew another arrow and let it fly the moment he could no longer pull the drawstring back, striking one of the firebenders that was sprinting towards him in the shoulder. Turning his attention to the last firebender, he barely had time to dodge as a burst of flame raced past his head. The last firebender had closed the distance was blasting fire with all his might. Lee dodged and ducked around the blasts before back flipping once and trusting his right hand out, pointing it straight at the firebender. The Triad thug dropped like a stone thanks to the throwing knife that appeared in his chest.

Drawing another arrow, Lee let it fly and strike one of the fuel barrels, followed closely by another. He watched with satisfaction as fuel began to leak from around the arrows' metal shafts. Leaping over the catwalk's railing, he landed on one of the tables being used to make the drug.

"He's going to torch the place, take him down you fools!" shouted a long skinny man with a pale completion and purple hair. Unlike the rest of the workers that had fled, this one was running around in a frantic manner, trying to save what parts he could. He didn't move like a man trying to save profit. No, he moved with more urgency, like a man trying to save his life's work.

Lee realized that this was the Triad's top cook, the man who had developed the drug into what it was. The vigilante grinned under the scarf, a special plan forming in his mind for this man. He let another arrow fly, striking down a thug that was rushing him. Grabbing up a blowtorch from the lab equipment at his feet, Lee ignited it and threw it toward the oil drums.

The torch landed on the concrete floor with a clang, bouncing once, then twice, before it skidded to a halt in the center of a growing pool of flammable liquid. Instantly the fuel caught fire, sending flames in all directions.

"No! My work, put it out, PUT IT OUT!" the purple haired chemist screamed as he raced toward the growing inferno. Lee scooped up a pair of syringes filled with the juice and pounced on the chemist as he ran past. Gripping the man by his forehead, he jerked his head back, exposing his neck. With the speed of a striking snake, Lee plunged the pair of needles into the man's neck and pressed down on both plungers, ejecting all of the drug into the man's system.

One syringe was enough to get someone hooked and hallucinating, no one had the guts to see what two would do.

"Enjoy the ride," Lee hissed in his ear before removing the needles and darting away, leaving the man to collapse and wither in agony as the drug raced through his system. By now, the flames had taken hold of more barrels, turning the fire into an inferno. The sounds of distant sirens told Lee that he had overstayed his welcome, and it was time to leave.

With all eyes on the fire, Lee had no trouble slipping away into the night. Only when he was a few blocks away did he stop to admire his handy work. Flames roared into the night sky from the warehouse like a massive bonfire. With a smile, he melted into the shadows, satisfied that his mission had been a success.

 _Hidden Equalist Headquarters, Republic City Tunnels. Early Morning._

 _"_ _Firefighters are still battling a raging inferno that started in a warehouse on the waterfront this morning. Sources say that firefighters received a call about a fire that started late last night in the warehouse district. Units that arrived were unable to deal with the fire directly right away as the warehouse was in fact a Triad drug lab. Many people have been pulled from the flames alive and it appears that the fire was intentionally set."_ The morning news radio droned before being turned off by The Lieutenant.

"What do you think, Amon?" he asked, turning to his superior. The masked man was studying a map of Republic City was his hands clasped behind his back.

"It would appear the roamers are true. There's a vigilante targeting the Triads."

"What do you want to do about it? If a vigilante starts making trouble for the Triads, it could make carrying out our plans more difficult."

"Ordinarily I'd agree with you, Lieutenant. This person could very well upset everything we have worked so hard for. Usually there's only one way to deal with that." Out of the corner of his eye, the Lieutenant noticed a dark figure emerge from the shadows. It wore dark clothing, had a black hood up over it's head, and a modified Equalist mask covering its face.

This was the infamous Blade that had been terrorizing the city. He watched as The Blade drew a small rectangle of metal, from which a sword blade sprung. The assassin twirled the sword and then held it at the ready. Amon, however, held his hand aloft.

"No. If this new player's intention is to take down the Triads, we should at least get to know him better. Track this vigilante archer down and arrange a meeting, we may have a new ally to work with."

 **So Lee met Asami, and burned down a warehouse. Is there a possibility of a romance there? And just who is The Blade? What do you think? Drop a review and leave a guess.**


	3. The Edge of Darkness

_Future Industries. 10 AM._

"Sato. As in Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the Satomobile, that Sato?" Lee asked. He was standing on the factory's floor with Asami and her father, Hiroshi.

"That's right. Now Asami tells me that you need a job. Are there any skills in particular that you excel that?" Hiroshi asked.

 _'Archery, free running, knife throwing, hand to hand combat. But I doubt he's looking for any of those skills.'_

"I'm pretty good with a hammer or a wrench, you give me something to do and I'll do it," he said. Hiroshi gripped his chin in thought as he looked the young man over.

"Well you look strong enough, and Asami vouches for you. I'll give you a starting position here on the floor, with a starting salary. If you can handle yourself, we'll see where things go from there. You start tomorrow on the first shift." Lee smiled as he shook Hiroshi's hand.

"I'm just happy to get the chance to prove myself, Mr. Sato."

"Please, call me Hiroshi. We all have to start somewhere. Now if you'll both please excuse me, I have some business to attend to," Hiroshi said before he left his daughter and the young man to themselves. Lee waited until Hiroshi was out of sight before he turned to Asami.

"You know, if I had known that a Sato was the one that ran me over, I wouldn't have chosen Jin's Dojo as the place for a meal," he said.

"You're not gonna get mad cause I didn't tell you who I am are you? Cause if you are, just keep in mind that you still haven't told me your last name," Asami said. Lee gave her a small smile.

"Feilong. Lee Feilong. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Sato," he said as he held his hand out. Asami laughed as she shook his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Feilong," she said.

"I've gotta go, I've got some chores I need to do. We should meet up somewhere later," Lee said. The Heiress' pale cheeks gained some color at that, and Lee instantly realized his poor choice in wording.

"And grab a drink or a bite to eat. As friends," he elaborated, his own cheeks gaining some color.

"Alright then, Quang's Cuisine for supper?"

"No, too fancy." Asami placed a finger over her lips in thought.

"Alright. Jin's then. This time I'll pay," she said. Lee grinned.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

 _Chang's Grill. A few weeks later._

Lee sat in a booth, reading a newspaper as he waited for the waitress to come and take his order. He eyes were focused on one particular article, regarding a man named Jan Chang. On the surface, Chang was a successful businessman and restaurant owner. But under all that, he was in fact Lightning Bolt Zolt's top accountant and money manager for the Triple Threat Triad.

Lee had spent the past few weeks learning the ins and outs of the Triad's money flow. Money earned from the street deals, extortion rackets, and other illegal activities on the streets were collected at Chang's various restaurants throughout the city before being brought here. Glancing up from the newspaper, the young vigilante spotted the man of the hour.

Jan was sitting in a large round booth on the other side of the room, speaking to a couple of men in business suits. He was middle aged, had a receding hairline, and a permanent scowl on his face. To the wandering eye, this would appear to be just another meeting. But the observant eye would take notice of the bodyguards standing around the booth, and the lack of patrons sitting anywhere near them.

Lee had made note of the guards' activities, and Jan's comings and goings. The Triple Threat Triad would be in a world of financial hurt without Jan. It wouldn't be enough to bring down the Triad, but it would be enough to severely weaken them. If the warehouse fire wasn't enough of a warning to the criminal underworld, this would be. Lee smirked to himself as he lowered the newspaper and took a sip of tea.

It was time for Jan Chang to meet the vigilante.

 _Later that evening._

"I don't care if the Dragon Flats is the poorest place in the city, and I really couldn't give a damn what the Agni Kais or the Red Monsoons are up to. Mr. Zolt expects everyone to pay in order to compensate for the loss of the lab. If you can't get the money, I'll find someone who can!"

"Yes, Mr. Chang," a triad member said before hurrying off. They were standing in the alley behind the restaurant. Today's business was just about done, and Jan was looking forward to going home for the night. One of his two bodyguards opened the door on a running Satomobile for him while the other stood guard.

Just as Jan sat down, the guard that had opened the door ached his back and cried out before he collapsed faced down, an arrow sticking out of the middle of his back. The remaining guard sent a couple bolts of fire in the direction the arrow had come from.

"Get Mr. Chang out of here," he said before he slammed the door closed. As he looked back up to resume his bending attack, the bodyguard took an arrow in the shoulder, causing him to collapse with a yelp of pain. Lee leapt from a fire escape and landed on the car's hood, sending an arrow through the windshield and into the driver.

Jumping up onto the cab, the vigilante used his foot to shatter the back window. Reaching inside, he grabbed Jan by the shirt collar and dragged him out through the shattered window, throwing him to the pavement. As the Triad money man began to sit up, Lee readied another arrow and held the bow sideways. He drew the arrow back in a threatening manner, aiming directly at Jan's heart.

"What do you want? I'll give you anything!" the Triad babbled. His tough mobster appearance was long gone, replaced by the trembling coward that now lay in the street. Lee cocked his head sideways slightly.

"You are going to go upstairs and empty your vault of all fifty thousand yuan stored inside, and then you are going to give it to me." Jan's face twisted in surprise.

"That's what this is about? A robbery? I thought you were some assassin here to kill me."

"I can still be an assassin if you don't get me that money. Now." Jan slowly got to his feet and led the way into the darkened restaurant with his hands raised. Lee followed close behind, his bow fully drawn and trained on the Triad member. They made their way through the kitchen, passing by a waitress and a cook that were finishing their closing routine.

The waitress let out a scream of terror as both she and the cook shrank back from the passing pair of men. Lee ignored them, confident that the hood and scarf combination was doing it's job of hiding his identity.

"Keep moving," Lee grunted, determined to get this over with.

"Hello, Police? Yes, it's an emergency! There's some crazy guy here with a hood and a bow..." Lee spun on his heel and released the arrow, cutting the wire connected to the phone and ending the waitress' call for help. Drawing another arrow, he took aim at the pair.

"Leave. Now." The man and the woman wasted no time, fleeing out the back door. Turning back, he aimed at Jan again.

"Move." Lee knew that he was now on the clock. The call to the police may have been cut short, but it had still made it through. No doubt this place would soon be swarming with cops, which meant he had to speed things up. He tapped the arrowhead into Jan's back, spurring the man to pick up the pace.

Jan's office was nicely decorated. A large globe sat in the corner, a massive oak desk rested in the heart of the room, and just behind the desk was the rectangular metal door of a vault, like that of a bank vault. Lee ignored the decorations and furnishings and focused solely on the vault door.

"Open it." Jan shuffled forward and hurried to carry out the command. After a few moments, the sound of the tumblers clicking into place filled the room, and the vault door slid open.

"You sure this is worth it? You're gonna have Lightning Bolt Zolt up your ass for the rest of your life just because you wanted to steal pocket change," Jan said as he stepped back, allowing the vigilante a view into the vault. Lee slowly let the arrow slide forward so that it had no risk of firing, but he still kept it nocked.

"Zolt already has a bounty on me. And there is more in this vault then just money," Lee replied. Jan's face scrunched up in confusion at that. But he didn't have enough time to work it out as Lee drove his fist home, knocking the Triad member out cold. Turning his attention back to the vault, he swung the door open all the way and looked over it's contents.

There was money here sure, but beyond that were several leather bound books. Ledgers, complete lists of every single financial action the Triad had ever taken. Money was one thing, but to Lee and his mission, these books were worth their weight in gold. Producing a duffel bag, he quickly filled it with the ledgers as well as enough money to pay his rent for a couple of months.

Sliding the bag on over his quiver, Lee became silent and still as he listened for sounds from the outside. Sure enough, he could hear the siren and deep thumps of a nearing police airship. Attaching a metal cable to the arrow he had nocked, Lee sprinted down the hallway and plowed headlong through a window, straight out into the open air six floors above the street.

Twisting through the air, the young vigilante drew the arrow back and let it fly, aiming at one of the many cables that crisscrossed between the buildings. Instantly the cable went taunt, and suddenly he wasn't falling toward the street, but swinging through the air. As he reached the top of his swing, Lee detached the cable and sailed through the air, landing with a roll on the roof of a passing train.

"Police! Stay where you are!" Lee suddenly found himself illuminated by the spotlight of a police airship. Drawing another arrow, he took aim and fired, shattering the spotlight in a shower of glass and sparks. The hiss of metalbenders firing their cables reached his ears, causing him to flip backwards. Sure enough, a small cluster of cables impaled the roof of the train car where he had been standing just a moment earlier.

Securing his bow over his shoulder, Lee let himself dangle over the side of the train car, hanging by the tips of his fingers. Pressing his feet against the side of the car, he scrunched his knees up into his chest and looked over his shoulder. He waited for a short heartbeat before he pushed off with all his might. Turning his body through the air, the vigilante was able to catch the metal railing of a fire escape on a nearby building.

He grunted once as his ribs slammed into the railing harder then he intended. No doubt he was going to have bruises later. Releasing his grip on the railing, Lee fell to the next landing on the floor below, and again to the one below it, repeating the process until he landed on the street. Rolling his arms from the strain, he quickly ducked into the dark shadows of an alleyway, watching as an airship passed overhead.

 _'They lost me after I jumped from the train. As long as I don't attract attention to myself I should be fine.'_

Rather then step back out onto the street, Lee let himself sink further into the shadows. Before long, he was confident that he had lost the Police, and was on his way back to his apartment for some well earned rest.

 _Republic City Police Headquarters. The Next Morning._

Haya stepped into Lin Beifong's office, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her trench coat.

"...put three of my men in the hospital and stole business information worth millions of yuans! If you can't stop one man when what good are you?" Jan asked as he stood before Lin's desk. She stood to the side and waited for the two to finish their conversation.

"I have already brought all available resources to bear against this menace. Now if you'll excuse me, Mr. Chang I have another appointment." The businessman huffed before he turned and stormed past Haya and out of the office.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" she asked after the door slammed closed.

"I did, Detective. Have a seat." Haya did as she was told and sat down across from the Chief of Police.

"Has there been a development in the case?"

"There has, but not one that you're going to like. You're off the case." Haya blinked and leaned back in shock, her face twisting with surprise and anger.

"But, mom, why? I'm the only one who's gotten even remotely close to catching The Blade. You can't take me off the case now!" Lin gave her daughter a pointed look, silencing her instantly.

"I'm taking you off the Blade case because I need your talents elsewhere," she said as she slid a file forward. Haya picked the file up and opened it, finding herself looking at an artist's sketch depicting a man wearing a hood and a face rap that covered everything but his eyes.

"The vigilante."

"He attacked Jan Chang last night. While I have no sympathy for that scumbag, the vigilante eluded two airships and thirty of Republic City's finest in the process," Lin said with a hint of irritation in her voice. Haya continued to look over the file while she listened to her mother.

From what she could gather, they knew almost nothing about the vigilante. They only knew what they could gather from eyewitness' and crime scenes, both of which wasn't much. He was young, probably in his late teens or early twenties, and he used arrows and knives forged from a highly refined metal, making his weapons immune to metalbenders.

"How does a Yuyan wannabe avoid two airships and thirty metalbenders?"

"As much as I'd hate to admit it, he's good. He's very good. He might actually BE a Yuyan Archer for all we know." Haya sighed as she sat the file back on the desk.

"I'll do my best Chief, but from what I've got here, it's not much to go on." Lin leaned forward across the desk.

"You do whatever is necessary to bring this man in to face justice," she said. Haya nodded as she stood and began to leave.

"Haya. You're the best detective I have. But you're also my only daughter. Don't do anything rash enough to get yourself killed."

"Don't worry, mom. I'll bring this guy in, I promise."

 _Lee's Apartment._

The aroma of boiling soup filled the small living space. Lee stirred the brown liquid with a wooden spoon before he brought a small sample to his lips for tasting.

"Needs a little more salt," he said to himself before he added the ingredient. A sharp rapping came from the apartment door, and Lee stirred the soup a few more times before he sat the spoon to the side. Turning around, he approached the door, but not before stopping to check if the broom closet was securely closed.

 _'I seriously need to get a better place to hide my gear.'_

Confident that his secret was safe, Lee opened the door and, much to his surprise, found Asami waiting on the other side.

"Asami? What...how do you know where I live?" he asked. The Heiress gave him a pointed look as she held up a sheet of paper.

"The address is on your paperwork," she said. Lee blinked once.

"Oh right. Come on in," he said, standing back to allow her entrance. Asami entered the apartment and sat at the small table while Lee closed the door and returned to looking over the soup.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I haven't seen you outside of work for almost two weeks, I figured it was time to come check up on you, see how you were adapting to the city," the heiress replied.

"About as well as can be expected I guess. The Triads haven't been in the neighborhood for a while so there's that." Asami nodded at that. She couldn't help but notice a wanted poster that sat on the table, she had seen several of these pop up all over the past month. An artist's drawing of a man wearing a hood dominated the page, along with a list of crimes and a reward for his capture.

"You've taken an interest in that vigilante I see," she said. Lee shrugged as he put the finishing touches on the soup.

"Have you seen the reward money they're offering for that guy? I could get a place that doesn't have a bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen all in one room."

"Are you sure that capturing him is the right thing to do? I mean he's done a lot to stop the Triads."

"I heard he stole the Triple Treat's ledgers and sent all the Triad's money to the charities," he said.

"Exactly. Why would you want to stop someone like that?"

 _'Great. Your one and only friend in the city is a fan of your vigilante side.'_

"But he's killed people, Asami, doesn't that bother you?" Asami sighed.

"My mother was killed when some triad members broke into our house when I was six years old. As far as I'm concerned, every Triad member that the vigilante has killed deserved it." Lee shot a glance toward the heiress.

"I'm sorry," he said. The two of them had never gone very deep into their pasts. But now, it seemed that it was time for that to change. Turning off the stove, Lee sat across from Asami and gazed at the wanted poster.

"Six years ago. My mother went to the bank to ask for a loan on a new house. Some Triad members tried to rob the place, but that botched the job and took a few hostages. When the cops kicked in the front door, they slit her throat and left her to bleed out." Asami covered her mouth in horror.

"That's horrible, I'm so sorry," she said. Lee waved her off and slid the wanted poster in between them.

"I understand the anger against the Triads, but I wouldn't go putting all your faith in this guy. He'll only disappoint you." Asami nodded.

"I know. Its just nice to have a symbol of hope for once in this city," she said. Lee snorted.

"I wouldn't go that far. But I can't deny that his actions are getting results. Now, enough about this depressing topic, are you ready to try Feilong's Swamp Surprise?"

 _Downtown Republic City. That evening._

 _'Note to self: less ghost pepper, more catgator'._ Lee ran along the building rooftops, his hood up and his bow in his hand. Luckily for him, the buildings were close enough together that he could easily clear the distances between them with a running bound. Travel by rooftop wasn't his favorite mode of transportation, given the police airships, but it raised less questions from people he passed on the street and the occasional hobo living in an alley.

Tonight, he was trying to track down the remnants of the Triad's extortion racket. His wiping out the Triad finances had dealt the organization a terrible blow, but they were no where even close to being gone. Coming to a halt over an alleyway entrance, he looked over the edge and expected to find a few Triad members waiting to deliver cash to a pick up.

Instead, all he found was dead bodies.

It was a trio of Triad members, each one wearing the color of one of the three elements they represented. Nocking an arrow in caution, Lee jumped onto the building's fire escape and quickly made his way to street level.

Each one of the Triad members had died from a simple, percise strike from a bladed weapon. Whomever had taken these three out was a professional, and obviously highly trained and skilled. As Lee knelt to take a closer look at one of the bodies, he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand erect. The vigilante's eyes narrowed, he wasn't alone in this alley.

Standing and turning on the spot, Lee let the nocked arrow fly at the figure that had just melted out of the shadows. To his surprise, and shock, the figure deflected the arrow off of the edge a short sword that had just appeared in his hand. In the blink of an eye, he had another arrow at the ready, aimed at the figure's heart.

"Amon wishes to speak with you," the figure said. His voice was horse and almost seemed to contain a hiss. Lee's eyes narrowed, but he refused to lower the bow.

"Why would the leader of the Equalists want to speak with me?" he asked. The figure cocked its head slightly.

"Amon wishes to speak with you," he said again. Lee slowly let the arrow slide forward before he finally lowered the bow.

"Alright, take me to him," he said. The figure turned to it's right and opened a door in the alley wall. With caution in his step and his fingers poised on his bow like a harp player, Lee followed the figure into the building. The dark, twisting hallways gave a haunting impression to the young man as he followed the figure deeper into the building.

Finally, they entered a large studio with towering windows on the far side of the room. Orange light from the city flowed in through the widows, lighting the room somewhat. Six figures wearing Equalist uniforms stood before the windows, facing him with their hands clasped behind their back, while a seventh one wearing a hood stood in the center, facing away from him.

"So, this is the infamous Vigilante Archer of Republic City, the Terror of the Triple Threat Triad," the central figure said as he slowly turned to face Lee. The Blade had stepped off to the side, retreating to the shadows in the corner of the room now that he was no longer needed.

"You must be Amon," Lee said, recognizing the mask from the posters he had seen around the city, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I have had my eye on you and your actions for some time now. You have done much good for the non benders of this city by fighting the Triads. We have the same fight, and I would like to personally extend an invitation to you to join the Equalists." Lee blinked in surprise before he cast a glance over his shoulder toward the figure in the corner.

"And your friend, the one that killed the Triads outside, who's he?"

"The Blade is merely an instrument of the Revolution. He keeps to the shadows, but imagine what can be accomplished if you, a symbol of hope for this city, was at the forefront of it all. Join us, and you will have the full support of the Equalists at your back to continue your fight." Lee felt his mouth go dry with temptation. He could only imagine what he could accomplish with a force like the Equalists at his back.

But then he remembered Asami's words, her thoughts on the Equalists. They were only concerned with the well being of non benders. Could he really bring himself to be like that? To hate every bender without discrimination?

"Well then, archer, what is your answer?" Lee remained silent as he unnocked his arrow and returned it to the quiver on his back.

"You will have your answer soon."

 **So, another chapter done. Will Haya be a friend or foe? Will Asami learn of Lee's secret? Will Lee join the Equalists? Drop a review and take a guess.**


	4. The Girl from The South

**A/N: I'm back, with yet another chapter. Now some of you were a little concerned or uneasy about Haya being introduced. While I can't say that you'll like her, the plans I have for this story can't happen without her. So without any further delays, on to the story...**

 _Police Interrogation Cell._

Lee rested his chin lazily on his hands, which were cuffed to the desk in front of him. For the seventeenth time that day, he silently wondered how he had gotten himself into this mess.

"Let us out of here, we did nothing wrong!" the Water Tribe girl sitting next to him shouted again, making him cringe.

 _'Oh yeah, that's why.'_

 _Four Hours Earlier._

Lee picked up an apple from the stand and looked it over, checking for any blemishes. To his satisfaction, he found that the fruit was in perfect condition, just like the sign over the stand promised. He had just gotten off work and was walking back to his apartment when his stomach had given him the rumblings of the need for a mid afternoon snack.

"How much for the apple?" he asked the old woman and young man sitting at the table next to the stand. They were immersed in a game of Pai Sho, and thus paying little attention to their customer.

"Hm? Oh one yuan, dear," the old woman said, glancing only briefly over her shoulder at him. Lee dug his wallet out and dropped the yuan on the table next to the game board. Leaning up against the shop wall, he pulled out his boot knife and began to carve up the apple. He still had several hours until sun down when he could begin his work on the city's criminal underground, and Asami had some dealings to work with at her father's business. Thus, he decided to kill time by watching the Pai Sho game.

It also gave him time to think over his situation. Amon's invitation for him to join the Equalists was tempting to say the least. He had been promised the full backing of the Equalists, which meant that he could get a lot of work done in a much shorter amount of time. But doing so meant that he would have to take orders, and Lee had always preferred to do things his own way, on his own terms.

From that stemmed his primary dilemma. Turning down Amon's offer would almost certainly turn the Equalists against him. While some part of the young vigilante had to admit that he might have been insane to embark on this crusade to begin with, he wasn't sure if he was crazy enough to take on the Triads, the Equalists, AND the Police all at the same time. The entirety of Republic City, all against him.

 _'Talk about long odds.'_

"Excuse me, I think I'm lost." The new voice pulled Lee from his thoughts and back into reality. There was a young woman standing next to the Pai Sho game, looking down at the old woman. Beside her stood a massive white polar bear dog, which judging by the saddle on it's back, was tame. She wore Water Tribe apparel, had black hair, bright blue eyes, and deep mocha skin. Her hair had two braids hanging down the side of her face while a ponytail sprouted from the back of her head.

Judging by the tight, sleeveless shirt she wore, Lee figured that she liked to work out a lot, or was at least a very physically active person. Asami may have been a looker, but this girl made Lee's heart skip a beat. She had more a tough tomboy look about her, which was his type of girl. That, and it didn't help that he'd always had a soft spot for Water Tribe women.

"How do I get to Air Temple Island from here?" the girl asked.

"Just head down this street," the woman said distractedly, pointing down the street without looking away from the game. The girl looked down the street and then back at the woman. She had obviously been hoping for more directions then just the vague gesture she had received. Sighing, she hung her head and began to walk down the street in the direction the old woman had pointed.

"Need some help?" Lee asked. The girl's head shot up and looked at him, taking notice of him for the first time in surprise. Lee was secretly surprised at himself. Ordinary, he would have kept his mouth shut and let her go on her way. But there was something about this girl that he couldn't shake.

"Yes, a little. Do you know how to get to Air Temple Island?" she asked. Lee nodded as he sliced off another chunk of apple and popped it into his mouth.

"I can take you to the ferry if you want," he said.

"Thanks, but some directions would be just fine."

"I got time to kill," Lee said with a shrug, "and frankly you look like you could use a friend." She hesitated for a moment before she held out her hand.

"I'm Korra, and this is Naga," she said. Lee took her hand and shook it.

"Lee." The roar of an engine echoed off the buildings as a red and gold Triad racer rounded the corner. Almost instantly the street cleared of people, and even the Pai Sho players had ducked for cover behind their stand.

"Listen to me carefully, keep your head down and your eyes to yourself," Lee said as he pulled himself in closer to the girl. The Triad's didn't scare him, but he had to keep up his appearance if he didn't want to get caught.

"What's going on?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder as the car came to a halt in front of the shop across the street.

"That's a Triad extortion team. They're here to collect money from one of the business owners," he explained as the Triad members climbed out of the car. It was a typical team of three, a water, earth, and firebender based on their clothing. Lee recognized the firebender. Ping was his name. He was the Triad member he had shot in the foot on his first day in the city.

"Mr. Chun. I really hope you have my money, or else I can't guarantee the safety of your fine establishment," the waterbender said, obviously the leader. As if to hit the nail on the head, Ping formed a flame in the palm of his hand.

"I'm sorry, business has been slow this week. Here, take one of my phonographs," the shop owner said, holding the device as compensation. Ping responded by smashing the phonograph into the street, igniting it in the process. Lee fought the urge to race forward and help the man. He had no way of hiding his identity, and the police would be on his doorstep to arrest him by the time the sun sat if he interfered.

"Sorry, my friend here isn't a music lover. You'd better come up with my money or else..."

"Or else what, hoodlum?"

 _'Oh no.'_

Korra was standing tall and defiant in the middle of the street with her hands on her hips. The Triads turned, looked at her, looked at each other, and then broke down laughing.

"Since you're obviously fresh off of the boat, let me give you a little advice. You're in Triple Threat Triad Territory, and we're about to put you in the hospital," the waterbender said.

"Three guys against one teenage girl? Seriously? Are the Triple Threats hurting that bad these days?" Lee asked as he stepped forward beside Korra. Letting them carry out their extortion was one thing, but letting them send Korra to the hospital was something else. The waterbender's eyes narrowed in anger.

"Who the hell do you think you are, pal?" Lee calmly sliced off another piece of apple and placed it in his mouth.

"Why don't you come find out," Korra said as she cracked her knuckles. Instantly, the waterbender threw his coat to the side and shot an ice spike at the pair. But Korra caught it and sent it right back, freezing the man's head in the process. Lee moved instantly, throwing his apple at the hunchbacked earthbender's head while throwing his knife at Ping's good foot.

Both men let out sequels of pain as the objects thrown at them made contact. Korra kicked the waterbender to the side, causing the ice spike to shatter as the man's head made contact with the car. The earthbender clutched his forehead in pain, a red spot forming where the apple had made contact with his forehead.

As his vision cleared, he found himself face to face with Lee, who had extended a telescopic baton. He beat the earthbender twice with his club, rendering the man unconscious as he fell to the ground.

"Whoa," Korra said as she looked over the scene. Lee had taken down two Triad thugs as easily as if he was signing his name. Ping continued to scream on the ground, clutching his leg as his once good foot was pinned to the ground by Lee's knife. Lee stood and collapsed the baton, looking over his handy work in the process.

"You took out those two guys by yourself," Korra said in awe. Her face turned a sickly green when she noticed the blood leaking out from around the knife in Ping's foot.

"Not bad for a non bender, eh?" he asked. The siren of a police airship filled the air, followed closely by Naga's howling. Lee silently cursed as three metalbenders jumped from the airship and repelled to the ground. He had been hoping for the usual response time so that he could slip away before they arrived.

 _'The one time they have to have a perfect response time...'_

"Arrest them," the lead officer said, pointing at the downed triad members. As the other officers began to tie up the Triad members, he turned his attention to the two remaining people.

"You two are under arrest too." Korra's look, which had been one of smug satisfaction, instantly turned to shock, and then to horror. Lee, however, remained stoic. Laws in Republic City were very strict about any kind of vigilantism.

"Why are we under arrest? Those are the bad guys over there, they were beating up a shop owner!"

"From the looks of things, you two did more then that," the officer said as he gestured over his shoulder at the wounded Ping, "assault is still assault, little lady, no matter the intent." With that, he shot his cables out at Korra, who side stepped and grabbed them.

"Wait, you can't arrest us, let me explain!"

"You can explain yourself all you like, down at headquarters." He then struck outward with his other arm, trying to ensnare Korra with his cables. Korra dodged and danced backwards, avoiding them to the best of her ability.

"Korra, no! Don't fight..." Lee started, but it was too late. The Water Tribe girl was already on the back of her polar bear dog and riding away with a couple of metalbenders in pursuit. He sighed inwardly as he felt the cables rap around him.

"Your girlfriend is gonna be in a whole mess of trouble," one of the remaining officers said. Lee snorted.

"Girlfriend? I only just met her. If I had known she was gonna cause this much trouble I would have kept my mouth shut."

 _Police Interrogation Cell. Present._

"Let. Us. OUT!" Korra screamed again, her foot banging against the table as she tried to pry herself free of the cuffs.

"Why don't you try screaming that some more, I think they're finally getting ready to do just that," Lee muttered, his voice full of sarcasm. Korra didn't give him a response as she placed both of her feet on the table's edge and pushed backwards, trying to pull her wrists free of the restraints. Her groans of effort only made Lee grimace.

"Okay stop it. STOP IT! You're closer to ripping your arms off then you are getting out of those," he said. Korra finally lowered her feet and slumped forward, panting from the effort.

"You just gave up, didn't you?" she asked.

"These things have no locking mechanism. They're controlled purely by metalbending, so unless you can metalbend we aren't going anywhere," he said. Korra looked downtrodden.

"They never expanded my training beyond standard earthbending," she said with a hint of regret in her voice. Lee's eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Earthbending? But you're a waterbender, I saw you chuck that ice spike back at the Triad thug myself," he said. Korra simply shrugged, her palms turning upward in the cuffs.

"What can I say? I'm a waterbender. And an earthbender. I also dabble in firebending," she said. Lee frowned as he put the pieces together in his head.

 _'Oh damn. The Avatar in the flesh. You've hit the lottery now, Feilong.'_

The door slid open, reveling two women. The first had graying hair and a pair of scars on her cheek, while the second looked like a much younger version of the first. They entered the room, the first carrying a clip board while the second carried a file. However, the second woman stood back, waiting in the corner while the first began to circle the room while looking at the clipboard.

"Let's see. Multiple accounts of assault, assault and battery, assault with a deadly weapon, not to mention resisting and evading arrest," she paused to slam the clipboard down on the table, "you two are in a whole mess of trouble."

"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper and..."

"Can it! You should have called police and stayed out of the way," the woman said as she made her way back around the table.

"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing! It's my duty to help people. See, I'm the Avatar," Korra said, hoping that her title would earn her some breathing room. The scowl on the woman's face remained.

"Oh, I am well aware of who you are, and your 'Avatar' title might impress some people, but not me." Lee glanced sideways at Korra, who visibly sighed.

"Alright, fine. Then I want to speak to whomever is in charge."

"You're talking to her. I'm Chief Beifong," the woman said as she took the seat opposite of the pair. Both her and Korra noticed Lee stiffen a little at the mention of her name. Lee himself felt a chill run down his spine. Lightning Bolt Zolt may have been a Triad leader, but he was still just a thug. Amon, despite his command of numbers, was just another guy who had a flare for the dramatic. Lin Beifong, however, was a force to be reckoned with.

"Something wrong, kid?" the Chief asked.

"Just, some stories I've heard is all," Lee said. His voice was calm, but his chest was full to bursting with nervousness. Turning his gaze away from the infamous Chief of Police, his eyes settled on the woman in the corner. She was a high ranking officer, a Detective if he had to guess based on her lack of uniform.

 _'The Chief of Police and a Detective to question two teens caught up in a Triad extortion job? Something else is at play here.'_

"Wait, Beifong? Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!" Korra said in surprise and recognition.

"What of it?"

"Why are you treating us like criminals? Avatar Aang and your mother were friends, they saved the world together."

"That's ancient history, and it's got squat to do with the mess you and your friend here are in right now!" Lin snapped.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the Chief of Police and a Detective doing questioning two teens who beat up a Triad extortion team?" Lee asked, "seems like it's kinda overkill, even if she is the Avatar."

"We're not here for her, Mr. Feilong," The Detective said, stepping forward and slamming the file down on the table, "We're here for you." Curiosity got the better of Lee as he reached forward and opened the file. Inside, he found himself face to face with a wanted poster of the vigilante. Although his face remained emotionless, his mouth went dry.

"Whoa, hang on. What's going on?" Korra asked, confused by the sudden change of topic.

"You're not the first person who thinks they can come into my city and deal out justice like they own the place. For the past few months, there's been a hooded lunatic running around, and right now your boyfriend is our prime suspect," Lin explained.

"Okay, first of all, I literally just met her like four hours ago. And secondly, how am I the prime suspect? What evidence do you got, apart from the fact that I'm a non bender that can take on Triad thugs?" Lee asked. He sounded a little like he was offended. Neither of the women answered as the Detective pulled out his boot knife and laid it on the table next to the file. It still had dried blood on it from being lodged in Ping's foot.

"Your knife is made of the same materials used by the vigilante, rendering it unbendable. Not only that, but you threw this knife with accuracy over twenty feet. The vigilante, apart from being an archery enthusiast, is known for using throwing knives. You have the weapon, and the skill set, which is enough for us to link you to him," the Detective said. Lee frowned as he leafed through the file. The Police had less evidence then he thought.

"All you've got is proof that I got a lucky shot with my knife and I don't feel like having a metalbender screwing up my stuff. It hardly makes me a hooded psycho," he said. Lin's face remained stoic, but the Detective had the briefest flash of worry in her eyes. Inwardly, the young vigilante smiled. They were trying to bait him into a confession with the scant amount of evidence they had. Just as the Detective was readying a retort, a small window on the side of the cell slid open.

"Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here," an officer said. Lin sighed as she stood up.

"Let him in." The cell door slid open to reveal a bald man with a goatee, airbender tattoos, and airbender robes. He sent Korra a look of disapproval before he focused on the Chief of Police.

"Lin, you are looking radiant as usual," he said.

"Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why is the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you were suppose to be moving to the South Pole to train her."

"My relocation has been delayed. The Avatar, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately. Where she will stay put," the Councilman said, sending a glare toward Korra.

"But..."

"If you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra and her friend, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." Lin remained silent for a moment before she flicked her wrist, opening Korra's cuffs.

"The Avatar is free to go. Mr. Feilong, on the other hand, is a different story," she said. Tenzin looked puzzled as Korra rubbed her wrists and looked at her friend worriedly. If Lee was worried, he didn't show it.

"May I ask what the charges are against the young man?" the Airbending Master asked. Lin picked up the file from the table and handed it to him.

"Trespassing, arson, obstruction of justice, assault, and murder, just to name a few," she said. Tenzin opened the file and looked it over before shooting a look toward Lee, who turned his palms upward with a shrug.

"Lin, you know there's not enough evidence here to connect Mr. Feilong to the vigilante. I'll need more then this to bring him before the Council for a trial," Tenzin said.

"That's what I said." Both of them ignored him as Lin crossed her arms. She glanced at the Detective briefly before letting out a defeated sigh. With that, she flicked her wrist again, and Lee's cuffs flew open.

"Fine. Just get her out of my city."

"Always a pleasure, Lin. Let's go Korra," Tenzin said before he led the way out of the cell, followed closely by both Lee and Korra. When they were a safe distance away, Lee finally spoke up.

"Councilman, thank you for getting us out of there," he said. He would have been lying if he had said that the idea of being stuck in an interrogation room alone with Lin Beifong didn't frighten him.

"No need to thank me, Mr. Feilong. I was getting Korra out, and you were apart of the package. If I were you though, I'd do my best to keep my nose clean from now on. Once Lin gets a sent on you, no matter how small, she'll never let it go," Tenzin said. Lee nodded before he turned his attention to Korra.

"I've got to say, that was the wildest afternoon of my life. It was an honor to meet you, Korra," he said as he held out his hand. Korra looked at his hand for a brief moment before she picked him up in a spine crushing hug.

"It was nice to meet you to, Lee. Thank you, for everything," she said before she sat him down. Lee gave her a smile and rubbed his ribs before he grabbed up a pen and a small piece of paper from a nearby desk.

"Here. This is my address. Look me up when you get back into the city," he said as he quickly jotted down the information and handed it to her. Korra looked down at the piece of paper in her hand, and then back up at him. Her eyes contained a hint of sadness.

"Goodbye, Lee," she said. Lee gave her a half smile.

"Goodbye, Korra," he said before he turned and walked away.

 _Near Quang's Cuisine. Later that Evening._

Lee stuck to the shadows of the rooftop as he watched the Triad thugs move about the alley below. They moved about quickly and spoke in hushed tones, all while handling a large coil of rope. He had just so happened to stumble across these guys as he was passing through the area on his usual patrol. What they were up to, he had no idea.

"Hurry it up, she'll be passing through here any minute," a firebender said. A few on the men grabbed the end of the rope and sprinted out of the alley, across the street, and into the other alleyway on the other side. Once there, they turned began a small game of tug of war, pulling the rope taunt for a brief moment before laying it flat in the street.

 _'A kidnapping, huh?'_

"Are you sure she will come this way?" one of the Triad asked the firebender in charge.

"Of course I'm sure. This is the most direct route between the restaurant and the mansion. This Sato bitch ain't gonna know what hit her." Lee's eyes widened under the hood.

 _'Asami?! Shit! Not good.'_

Lee now faced a problem. If he intervened, there was the chance that Asami would recognize him, and if he didn't, he shuttered to think about what the Triads would do with a pretty girl like her. Even now, he could hear the familiar whine of Asami's moped as it approached. His time was running out.

"As if it's a choice," he muttered as he nocked an arrow. Asami rounded the corner and came up the street, totally unaware of the trap that awaited her. The Triads pulled on the rope, making it taunt and ripping the young heiress off of her bike. She landed on her back, the air rushing out of her lungs from the impact.

"Now, grab her now!" The Triads raced out of the alleys, four in all, hurrying to grab the heiress before she recovered from her fall. Asami was on her feet in a flash, her hands held at the ready to defend herself.

"Come now, little girl, we're not gonna hurt you, we just want to have a nice chat...ugh!" The sudden gasping noise imitated from their leader caused the thugs to spin around in shock. They were just in time to witness the firebender fall to the ground clutching his throat, reveling the hooded vigilante standing behind him.

"Leave. Her. Alone," he said, his tone clearly showing that he wasn't playing around.

"Holy shit, it's him!"

"Forget the girl, get the archer!" The Triads all charged him head on, but Lee simply smirked at the sight. They never learned. He fired the arrow he already had nocked, followed closely by another and another. Just like that, the three thugs were on the ground with arrows sticking out of their knees, screaming in pain.

"Get to a safe place, now!" he said, turning his attention to Asami. The heiress looked stunned by his sudden appearance. If she recognized him, she didn't show it.

"Thank you."

"Go!" Asami quickly picked up her fallen moped and sped off into the night, leaving Lee alone with the Triads. He picked up the firebender by the hair and looked him in the eye. The punch he had delivered to the man's throat was starting to wear off by now.

"You and I need to have a little chat," he said before slamming the man into a brick wall and placing a knife point to his jugular, "who put out the kidnap order on Asami Sato?"

 _Lee's Apartment. Thirty minutes later._

Nothing. A half hour of threats, cuts, and beatings had reviled nothing, leaving Lee beyond frustrated. He had expected this to be a simple snatch off of the street in order to force Mr. Sato into paying a king's ransom for the return of his daughter. It was the kind of thing you'd expect from an organization that was already bleeding to death from money loss.

The thing was that it wasn't a simple snatch and grab. Ordinarily, orders like that came from Zolt himself. These guys had gotten their orders much more discreetly, with specific instructions and a location for a drop off. Someone had hired the Triad to kidnap her. And that only made the young vigilante want to pull his hair out.

"Spirits, can't today just end with something simple?" he asked as he opened the window to his fire escape and slipped inside. He instantly pulled the face wrap down as well as his hood before wiping some sweat from his brow.

"No. Fucking. Way." Lee instantly froze at the sound of the new voice. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even checked to see if he was alone. Sure enough, standing by his stove, was a slack jawed Asami.

 _'Apparently not.'_

"Asami..." he said slowly, setting the bow on the floor and raising his hands, unsure of what she would do. The heiress' eyes rolled back into her head, and she fainted on the spot. Lee dashed forward and managed to catch her before she hit the floor.

"Well, that could have gone better."

 **Oh, dear me. Look at that, a cliffhanger. So Korra is in Republic City now, and Asami knows that Lee is the vigilante. Not only that, but Lin and Haya think they've got something on Lee. Will he be able to slip out of the law's clutches again? How will Asami take the news? What will happen next? Drop a review, take a guess, let's see who comes close to getting it right.**


	5. The Calm

**I'm a week late, but here it is, a new chapter. Hope you guys are still enjoying this.**

Asami slowly opened her eyes and sat up groggily. At first, she didn't recognize where she was, but as the sleep cleared her head, she recognized that she was in Lee's apartment. Or, to be more specific, she was sleeping on his bed. The orange glow from the street lights filtered in through the windows and cast an eerie glow over the room, and the sound of rain pelting on the roof reached her ears.

As she slowly scanned the room, she found herself looking at Lee, who was standing in the middle of the room. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed as he crossed his arms, his face not showing any emotion.

"You've been out for a couple of hours. How are you feeling?" he asked. Asami rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"I'm fine. I had this weird dream that you were the vig..." her voice died in her throat as she took notice of the black bow and quiver full of arrows that lay on the table.

"It wasn't a dream. You fainted," Lee explained. Asami's mouth opened and closed like a fish as she looked back and forth between the bow and her friend.

"You...?" He nodded once.

"You're not going to faint again, are you?" The Heiress shook her head as she stood and crossed the room. Her hands touched the bow with a since of awe and reverence, as if she was afraid it would suddenly turn to ash beneath her fingertips.

"No. Actually everything about you just suddenly made perfect sense. Why you're always tired on your shift at work, even though you never seem to leave your apartment. To think, I had you pegged as insomniac," she said.

"I'm sure you must have questions." She turned and looked him in the eye for the first time since she woke up.

"Several. But first, there's something I have to get off my chest," she said before she crossed to him and slapped him, hard. Lee stumbled slightly, wincing in pain and cupping his cheek.

"Okay, I probably deserve that."

"You deserve a hell of a lot more then that, Lee. What the hell are you thinking, running around with a bow and arrow, are you insane? Do you have any idea how much heat is being brought down on you?! The Triads, the cops, everyone wants your head on a plate!"

"Yeah, I'm a little aware of that, Asami. That's why I wear the hood, so people don't form a line at the door trying to stick Lee Feilong in a coffin," Lee said. Asami opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it before slapping him again, even harder this time.

"Why didn't you tell me? I'm your friend, Lee, I should have known."

"Not telling you gives you deniablity, and it also keeps you safe if things go wrong," Lee said as he rubbed his cheek, trying to get the stinging to stop. Asami raised her hand as if to slap him again, but hesitated before lowering it. Instead she crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Her head was spinning at this revelation.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Lee sighed as he grabbed a chair and sat down in front of her.

"My mother bled to death in my arms when I was thirteen years old. She was all my brother and I had. I swore to myself that I would do everything in my power to bring down the Bending Triads, so that no one else would have to feel what I felt that day." Asami frowned. Lee had never mentioned a brother, or any other family besides his mother.

"You have a brother?"

"Had. He ran off right after mom died. I don't know what happened to him. Dead? Missing? Who knows?"

"Wouldn't you want to find him? He's the only family you have left." Lee gave her a hard look that plunged deep into her core.

"He abandoned me when we needed each other the most. Dead or alive, he's no brother and no family of mine," he said harshly. Asami swallowed out of nervousness. She wasn't entirely sure what Lee was capable of, and now that she knew he was the vigilante, she'd rather not test it.

"That doesn't explain how a teenager from Republic City develops archery skills," she said, changing topics.

"There's an island in the outlaying edges of the Fire Nation that is home to the last bastion of Yuyan Archers. I knew that as a non bending kid on the streets, I was in no way prepared to try and take on the Triads. So I used what little money I had to barter my way to that island. And for the past six years, I've trained and pushed myself until I am where I am now," he explained. Asami cocked her eyebrow at him.

"They just took you in and trained you? Just like that?" she asked, her voice containing disbelief.

"Archery is a dying art in the modern world. The Yuyan don't get much in the way of volunteers, since the world has all but forgotten about them. So they'll train just about anyone who comes and proves themselves worthy in order to insure the survival of their way of life," he said.

"So you just put a hood on and go running around all night before slipping back into your apartment? That doesn't exactly seem like the best way to handle things without getting caught."

"Yeah. I'm aware, tonight made that brutally clear." An uneasy silence fell between the two. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as the sound of rain began to increase.

"So what happens now?" Asami asked, finally breaking the silence. Lee sighed as he stood and began to pace.

"That's the billion yuan question, isn't it? My work still isn't done, and I need to know if I have to take steps to insure that the Police won't interfere," he said, giving her a pointed look and crossing his arms again.

"I'm your friend, Lee. I'm not going to tell the cops or anyone else your secret," Asami said.

"How do I know I can hold you to that?"

"How about a sign of faith," the heiress said as she stood and made her way over to the desk. Grabbing up a piece of paper and pen, she began to hurriedly scribble something down.

"Meet me at this address tomorrow morning. And I'll prove to you that I have no intention of betraying you," she said before handing him the paper. Lee took it and read it before nodding once. The last time he had accepted something like this from her, he had gotten a job. Curiosity had him wondering just what she had in store for him next. With that, Asami grabbed her jacket and headed for the door.

"Just, one last question," she said, pausing and looking back at him, "those Triads who attacked me tonight. What was that all about?"

"I don't know yet. It's something I'm trying to track down," Lee answered, "just be careful. Whatever is going on, I've got a feeling it's not over."

 _Air Temple Island. Next Morning._

"While the Police refuse to issue an official statement, sources say that the assassin terror known as The Blade attacked a meeting of high ranking Agni Kai Triad members late last night. While reports are scarce at this time, it is believed that the organization's leadership has been nearly decapitated. This, following in the wake of a recent rise in citywide Triad related violence has led some to believe that what was once a brewing turf war is in fact a security response to the feared assassin," Korra said, reading the morning paper as she sat across from Tenzin. She lowered it briefly to look at the airbending master.

"This thing reads like a crime drama novel more then a newspaper," she said. Tenzin sighed as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"You've come to Republic City at a very trying time, Korra. For the past year, the city has been terrorized by this assassin. And now, for the past few months, this vigilante archer..." he trailed off, his voice containing exhaustion.

"What's the deal with this vigilante anyway? Ever since I got into town, all I've heard is 'the vigilante' this and 'the archer' that. And then there was that thing with Beifong trying to hold Lee when we got released, just because he could beat up a few Triad thugs," Korra said.

"The vigilante is a hot topic for debate right now. The city is divided in its opinion of him. Half think he's doing the city good by taking on the Triads, while the rest think he's a menace that needs to be stopped. In fact, the council has discussed forming a task force to track him down no less then three separate occasions."

"What do you think of him?"

"He is first and foremost a killer. Always remember that, Korra. No matter how much good he may seem to have done, he has killed in order to accomplish his goals. For that reason I think he must be stopped," Tenzin said.

"So then why was Beifong so convinced that Lee is the vigilante? He's a nice guy, and if he had wanted to kill those thugs he definitely had the chance but he didn't."

"Lin has always been a hard liner when it comes to the law and vigilantism. She tends to view the taking of the law into one's own hands as a personal affront. And since the vigilante has proven to be so hard to capture, she's exploring every possible lead, no matter how coincidental or seemingly unrelated. Your friend demonstrated abilities associated with the vigilante, and thus he became a target for her."

"That doesn't exactly seem fair to Lee. He was just defending himself."

"I'm sure that Haya had her reasons for questioning him. You only just met Mr. Feilong, there is still much you don't know about him," Tenzin pointed out before taking a sip of his tea. Korra frowned in confusion.

"Haya? Who's Haya?"

"Haya Beifong. She's the Detective that was in the interrogation room with Lin."

"Any relation between the two?"

"Yes. Lin is Haya's mother." Korra tried to wrap her head around this information. Her encounter with the Chief of Police had left her skeptical that the woman had any family. But, now that she thought about it, she could see a resemblance between the two.

"She is also one of the best Detectives on the police force. I'm not surprised that Lin put her up to the task of tracking the vigilante down," Tenzin continued. Korra picked up the newspaper again.

"Enough about this stuff. Let's see how the Pro Bending matches went last night," she said with enthusiasm. The airbending master sighed at the mention of the sport. He only half listened as he finished his breakfast and set to finishing his morning tea. His mind wandered briefly, concerned about the city that lay just across the harbor. The assassin, the vigilante, the Triads, the Equalists. His home was on the verge of tearing itself apart

"And in the final round, the Buzzard Wasps won with a decisive knockout," Korra finished before lowering the paper again, her eyes wide with anticipation, "What do you say we go to the Arena tonight? Catch a few Pro Bending matches?"

"That 'sport' is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending," Tenzin declared before finishing off his tea.

"Come on, Tenzin. I've dreamed about seeing a Pro Bending match since I was a kid. And now I'm just a ferry ride away from the Arena," she pressed, gesturing over her shoulder at the golden building on the other side of the bay.

"Korra, you are not here to watch that drivel. You are here to finish your Avatar training. Not to mention that the city is even more dangerous now thanks to these madmen running around. So, for the time being, I want you to remain on the island." The Avatar's chin sank into her palm, and her anticipation melted into disappointment.

"Is that why you're keeping the White Lotus Sentries around, watching my every move?" she muttered.

"Yes. In order to lean airbending I believe you need a calm, quiet environment. Free from any distractions." Korra sighed in defeat.

"Alright. You're the Master."

 _Abandoned Factory. Republic City Industrial District._

"So, what do you think?" Asami asked.

"I wanna know how a rich heiress knows about this place," Lee replied as he looked over the large metal building. It was mostly empty, except for a few large pieces of machinery that had been too heavy to move. Dust blanketed everything, showing how long the place had been untouched. Any concern that Lee may have had regarding a possible Police ambush vanished. He would be able to see the footprints in the dust on the floor, and spot them from a mile away.

"This was one of Future Industries first production floors, it's been abandoned since satomobile production was moved to the main factory where it is now. Dad hangs onto this place mostly for sentimental value," she explained.

"Any chance of him coming by? Or production restarting here?" Lee asked as they walked deeper into the building. Asami shook her head.

"Future Industries has so many of these old places, I doubt anyone will be stopping in anytime soon. Besides, it would cost too much to get the place up to spec for any kind of production to restart." Lee nodded once in satisfaction. Asami had a point about the dangers of using his own apartment as a base of operations, and now she had come through with one. She was right, she had proven herself trustworthy.

"So what does the vigilante think?" she asked, earning a small grin from him.

"That depends, what is it that you want in return, Ms. Sato?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing is free, Asami. You think I expect you to just let me use this place and not give you anything in return?" Asami folded her arms.

"A simple trade. I let you use this place as a hideout, and in return, you let me help you with the vigilante stuff."

"I only got the one hood, Asami."

"That's not what I meant. I mean you need someone here, keeping an eye on the place and keeping your equipment in good condition."

"You want to be my machinist?"

"I may look like a spoiled rich girl, but I'm pretty good with tools. And I'm not a bad inventor if I do say so myself. This will give me the opportunity to test out a few inventions and ideas I have," Asami said. Lee felt a small chill run down his spine. He had desperate need of her skills, that much was true. But the thought of being Asami's guinea pig kind of frightened him.

 _'Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers.'_

"Alright, it's a deal. Welcome aboard, Ms. Sato," Lee said, sticking out his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Feilong," Asami replied, shaking his hand. With that, the two looked over the factory again.

"We have a lot of work to do."

 _Pro Bending Arena. The Following Evening._

For once, Lee was thankful that the city's waterfront was crowded. With so many buildings and business' buying for a spot along the waters edge, the Arena had been built out over the water on a massive pier. It gave the golden building a unique way to draw the public's eye. It also gave young vigilante a way into the building unseen and undetected by tonight's target.

He hopped from wooden post to wooden post on the underside of the pier, easily making his way out over the water to the underside of the Area. His bow was slung across back, allowing him to use both of his hands as he saw fit. Upon reaching the side of the pier, he scaled his way upward, pausing briefly to see if anyone was around when he reached the deck. Satisfied that no one was around, he hopped the railing and quickly climbed the side of the Arena to an open window.

With the matches taking place in the main part of the Arena, this section of the building was totally deserted. Despite this, Lee moved with a hunter's step, taking great care not to make a sound as he crept through the halls. Tonight's target required a more delicate approach then what he usually used. This wasn't some restaurant shut down for the night or some back alley being used to peddle drugs. This was the Pro Bending Arena. One false move, and over a thousand people would know that the vigilante was here.

Lee's target was a mid ranking member of the Red Monsoon Triad, one who was currently using the matches as a cover for their meetings. The recent attacks by The Blade had caused all of the Triads to boost their security, which made his overall job that much more difficult. But, lower ranking Triad members such as this one couldn't afford or weren't considered important enough for the protection required, and their presence here at the Arena only served to open more holes in an already weak security.

The sound of water splashing came from the window behind him, making Lee's ears perk up. Acting purely on instinct, he jumped at the nearest wall, pushing off it and upward with his foot. The resulting action shot him upward to the steam pipes that ran along the wall, just below the ceiling. He balanced himself on a pipe, just as a figure in gray shot through the window and landed where he had been standing moments earlier. Lee almost couldn't believe his eyes when he realized that he knew the person.

 _'Korra? What's she doing here?'_

The young woman quickly bent the water out of her clothing and hair before she looked around. Her eyes were full of curiosity and fascination as she set off with no particular destination in mind. Lee followed silently, part of him curious as to what she was up to. That, and his target was in this direction so he didn't really have a choice.

Korra continued to walk along, completely unaware that she was being followed. Lee was mentally screaming her for not checking her surroundings better. He suspected that the Order of the White Lotus had left out several things during the Avatar's training, this being one of the more severe ones.

Of course, that didn't mean that he wanted Korra to know that he was here. He had no idea what her reaction would be if she suddenly met the infamous vigilante in person. But if he had to guess, he figured she would try to roast him alive. Korra was hotheaded, rash, and based on what he had seen, she tended to charge into situations without thinking them through.

Korra came to a halt as she looked into a wide room, the gym used by the Pro Benders to train for their matches. Lee held still as well, concerned that the Avatar might pick up even the slightest movement out of the corner of her eye. She didn't so much as cast a glance in his direction as she wandered into the gym, her eyes still wide with anticipation. Without waiting a heartbeat longer, he crept forward, intending to slip past her and get a move on with his mission.

"What are you doing in here?" a voice said, causing Lee to freeze.

"I was looking for the bathroom," Korra said. The young vigilante frowned. Korra had been caught by an employee, which meant that this area wasn't as deserted as he thought.

"Ah, the old 'I have to pee' excuse. Well I'm tired of you kids sneaking in here, thinking you can get in without a ticket. I'm calling security." That made Lee worry. If security suddenly flooded this area, his mission would be a failure and the risk of him being caught would skyrocket. He couldn't allow that to happen.

Just as he began to slide the bow off of his midsection, a young man with black hair and green eyes rounded the corner. He wore a red and white Pro Bending uniform and walked with a confident swagger in his step. The vigilante watched as he passed the entrance to the gym and took notice of what was going on inside.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you! It's okay Toza, she with me," he said as he walked into the gym and out of his line of sight. Lee released a breath he didn't realized he had been holding and quickly scurried away, eager to put some distance between himself and a potentially awkward situation.

After some time, he finally arrived at his destination and he dropped to the floor. The door to the box booth was surprisingly unguarded, making him pause briefly. It wasn't like the Triads to not have guards posted. Lee felt the hair on the back of his neck stand as he opened the door, instantly getting a bad feeling. He drew his bow and nocked an arrow before he proceeded inside.

What he found made his blood run cold.

 _Abandoned Factory._

"So, how'd it go?" Asami asked without looking up from the device she was tinkering with. Lee stalked into the room, lowering his hood and face wrap in the process.

"She wasn't there," he said as he lay his bow on the table, "but her guards were."

"I can't imagine they were very happy to see you."

"I don't think that matters much. They were dead." Asami paused in her tinkering and looked at him.

"You didn't..."

"No. They were like that when I got there. They were killed with precise strikes from a bladed weapon. I've seen this kind of work before, the fourth time this week." The Heiress frowned at the tone in his voice.

"You have?" Lee nodded.

"I need to have a chat with Amon."

 _Temporary Equalist Headquarters._

Thunder crackled and lightning flashed though the night sky, illuminating the dark rooftop in a brief flash. Rain poured down in sheets on Amon and The Lieutenant as they looked over the situation before them. Four mid ranking Equalist members were hanging from a wire by their ankles, their fingertips just barely brushing the rooftop.

"I found them like this," The Lieutenant said. Amon remained silent as he took a few paces forward.

"Do I have your attention?" Lightning flashed again, illuminating Lee as he stood on a nearby air duct, his bow held at the ready.

"Are they...?" Amon asked, motioning toward his men.

"They're alive. Which is more then I can say for anyone who gets caught in the way of your Blade," Lee said.

"The Blade spares no one in his missions, he never has."

"Except on your orders. Four mid ranking members from each of the major Triads have gone missing this week. Their bodyguards were killed by The Blade. I want to know what you are up to Amon." The Equalist leader clasped his hands behind his back.

"Everyone wants to know what The Revelation is, Archer. You will have your answer at the end of the week."

"Syu Shun, Amon. I want her alive. She has information that is of value to me," Lee said.

"Regarding the attempted kidnapping of Asami Sato?" Amon asked. Neither of the men could see each others faces due to their masks, but Lee harbored a frown of surprise.

"I have eyes and ears all over this city, Archer," the Equalist leader said as if he could see his face.

"That's my business, not the Equalists."

"It is my business to know the non bender actions of the city." Lee started to from a reply, but decided against it.

"End of the week, I get Syu Shun unharmed, or you and I are gonna have a problem," he said. Lightning flashed again, and the vigilante was gone. Amon was silent for a long time as he stared at the spot where Lee had been standing.

"Lieutenant, have our friend at the ready. I fear that the vigilante may not pan out like we hoped," he said.

"Yes, Amon."

"And cut our brothers down. After the Revelation, we will have need of them."

 **There wasn't much action in this chapter, but I'll make up for that soon. The next chapter involves The Revelation. What will happen? Who ordered the kidnapping of Asami? How will Korra and Mako handle meeting the Archer of Republic City? Drop a review, take a guess, and stick around to find out.**


	6. Stormy Revelation

**I'm back with a new chapter. This one's a little longer then normal, but that's because, as promised, this one has more action. So, sit back, read, and enjoy.**

The early morning hours of the Friday was for getting some well deserved sleep, not walking through the deserted halls of the Pro Bending Arena. At least, that's how it was in Lee's opinion anyway. But tomorrow night was Amon's so called Revelation, as well as the deadline he had given for the return of the Red Monsoon lieutenant known as Syu Shun. Lee needed Shun alive, as she had information regarding the attempted kidnapping of Asami. But with someone like The Blade involved, Lee couldn't help but have his doubts about tonight's outcome.

That was why he was here now, at the Arena. This was Shun's last known location before the Equalists had kidnapped her. It was a long shot, but he had been hoping that there was something that could point in the right direction. But there had been nothing. The Blade was Amon's top assassin, and he never left anything behind aside from the bodies. So, Lee had no choice but to admit defeat and start on his way home.

"Is there a reason why we have to practice so early in the morning? The morning is evil." Lee froze mid step at the sound of the voice. He knew that voice. It was coming from the open gym, which was just before him. Walking forward, he peered into the gym to confirm his suspicions. Korra was standing in the middle of the room along with two other guys, wearing practice gear and throwing a weighted ball around.

"We're the rookies, so we get the worst time slot in the gym," said the younger of the two as he caught the ball and threw it to the other player. Lee recognized him as the Pro Bender that had saved Korra from the gym manager the other night.

"And you're the rookiest of us all. We gotta get you up to speed, deal with it," the third guy said before he threw the ball to Korra, a little harder then intended. Korra easily caught the ball in her chest.

"You deal with it!" she snapped before throwing the ball right back, sprawling him out in the process. Lee paused a moment before proceeding. He could easily slip away unnoticed if he wanted to right now. But he had been wanting to get back in contact with Korra, and now was his chance. After all, the vigilante knew that the Avatar was still in Republic City, but Lee Feilong didn't, until now.

"Korra?" he asked, stepping into the gym for the first time. The Avatar turned at the sound of the new voice. Her face, plastered with annoyance and exhaustion, instantly brightened into a huge smile.

"Lee! It's so good to see you, what are you doing here?" she asked as she closed the distance between them and picked him up in a brief bear hug.

"I left my jacket here the other night and came back to see if I could find it, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Practice. I'm the waterbender for the Fire Ferrets now, can you believe it?" she said, enthusiasm in her voice.

"Hey Korra, who's your friend?" asked one of the two players, the one with green eyes.

"Oh, sorry. Lee, these are my teammates, Mako and Bolin. Guys, this is Lee Feilong, he helped me out when I first got into the city," Korra said, giving the introductions.

"Nice to meet you!" the one that Korra referred to as Bolin said, shaking Lee's hand. Mako simply grunted as he set to taking off his practice gloves. Lee had heard of these two on the radio. The up and coming Fire Ferrets were one of the hottest teams in the running for the Pro Bending Championship, so their names were plastered all over the place.

"So how did you and Korra meet?" Bolin asked.

"She was lost and asking for directions and I offered to help. And then we shared an interrogation cell," Lee answered as if he was giving the time of day.

"In the city for a few hours and you're already making friends, why am I not surprised?" Mako said. This earned the firebender an annoyed glare from both of them.

"There are my hard working little street urchins," came a new voice from the doorway. A large man wearing a fedora and a suit was walking forward with a confident stride. Lee frowned at the sight of the man. Butakha was the owner of the Pro Bending Arena, who occasionally was slipped money from various parties to fix a match or two. Needless to say, he had turned up a few times during his research as the vigilante.

"It's an honor to finally meet you, Avatar," he said, patting Korra on the shoulder.

"And you are?" Korra asked, cocking her eyebrow.

"Butakha. I run this whole Pro Bending shebang," he replied as he took off his hat and tipped it in a bow. Returning his hat to the top of his head, the man moved past Korra to Mako.

"I just came by to give you the Fire Ferrets' winnings from the last match," he said as he handed a large stack of Yuans to Mako. The firebender's face instantly brightened into a wide grin as we went to pocket the cash.

"Up, up, up. Not so fast. First you owe me for the Avatar's gear, and Gym rentals, and rent on your apartment, and a personal loan on groceries," he said as he took the stack of cash back. Mako looked down at his now empty palm before he turned to Bolin with a glare.

"What? I'm a growing boy!" the earthbender defended while rubbing his stomach.

"There's one more thing," Butakha added, "the Fire Ferrets need to ante up thirty thousand

Yuans by the end of the week for the championship pot."

"Thirty thousand Yuans?!"

"I'm sorry, but if you can't come up with the money you're out of the running for the tournament," he said before turning to leave.

"I don't suppose you have a secret Avatar bank account loaded with gold?" Bolin asked, turning to Korra. She turned her pockets inside out in response.

"I got nothing." Lee frowned as he considered the possibilities in his head. He could easily collect the money they needed from the Triads. But there was the problem of explaining where the money came from. He worked at Future Industries for a modest wage, there was no way he could come up with that amount of money without someone making the connection between him and the vigilante.

"Hey, don't look at me. I gotta pay rent," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender when pleading eyes turned to him.

"What are we gonna do to get the money?" Mako asked as he packed up some spare gear into a duffel bag.

"Oh, I know! I've been training Pabu to do tricks, now people would pay good money to see that," Bolin said, holding aloft his pet to further his point.

"Come on, Bo, be serious."

"I was being serious..."

"Okay, I'll take that as my cue to leave. It was good to see you again, Korra," Lee said as he turned to leave.

"You too, Lee. I'm staying on Air Temple Island, you should come by sometime," Korra said. Lee shot her a smile.

"I'll be sure to do that."

 _Abandoned Factory_

"Doesn't your dad wonder where you're at all the time?" Lee asked as he walked into the factory. Various tables sat about with amounts of gear on them. A set of targets, both round and humanoid shaped, sat at the far end. In the center of it all, Asami sat with a pair of magnifying goggles over her eyes as she worked on a contraption that was a mixture of metal and leather.

"I'm the teenage daughter of one of the city's wealthiest businessmen, I'm either at a mall, clothing store, or some beauty salon," she replied without looking up from her work. Lee shrugged at her logic before he picked up his bow and quiver full of arrows and made his way toward the targets.

"So did you find anything at the Arena?" Asami asked as she picked up a sauntering iron and applied a delicate touch to her work.

"As the vigilante? Not a damn thing. As myself? I saw Avatar Korra and the Fire Ferrets," Lee replied as he drew his first arrow and fired at a target, striking it in the bulls eye. That made Asami look up from her work for the first time.

"You met the Fire Ferrets?"

"Well, technically I already know Korra, but yeah I got to meet Mako and Bolin," Lee said as he fired another arrow. The young archer suddenly found himself pinned to a table with Asami standing over him, holding the iron threateningly.

"Spill. Now," she said. If it wasn't for the iron being held so close to his face, Lee would have found the situation hilarious. He knew how much of a fan that Asami was of the Fire Ferrets, so her reaction was expected. But the bug eyed look that her goggles gave her wasn't helping.

"Korra's on the team and they have practice in the gym in the morning. I said hi, introductions were made, I left, that's it," he said. Asami blinked once before releasing her grip on him.

"That's anticlimactic," she grumbled before slinking back to her project. Lee rolled his eyes before picking himself up and returning to his target practice.

"You know, part of me always thought you had issues," he said.

"And now?"

"Now that I've been threatened with a sauntering iron, I know its a fact that you got issues." He ducked a chunk of scrap metal sailed past his head.

 _Near the Triple Threat Triad headquarters, later that night._

Lee crouched on a rooftop overlooking the street, rubbing his forehead in pain. He could still feel the scrap metal as it made contact with his head, leaving a nasty bruise in its place.

 _'Note to self: Never tell Asami she's got issues as long as you live.'_

Right now, he was waiting for a small group of Equalists to pass by, intending on using their transport as a means of locating the new Equalist headquarters. Based upon information he had received, a squad would be passing here after making raid against the Triple Threats, which meant he would able to catch a ride when they passed.

The roar of motorcycle engines echoing off of the buildings reached Lee's ears. He sprang to his feet, his headache forgotten as he quickly pulled up his face wrap and hood. Headlights appeared as a truck rounded a corner down the street, flanked by four Equalists on motorcycles. Drawing his bow, he bent his knees and prayed that he timed this right.

As the truck passed underneath, he stepped off of the roof and let himself fall. Lee landed on the roof of the truck in a crouch, his bow at the ready should the Equalists realize his presence. A ball of fire sailed past, causing the vigilante to blink in confusion. The Equalists were against benders, so who was throwing fireballs? Looking back, his eyes went wide in recognition.

Korra and Mako were chasing after the Equalists on Naga, sending bolts of fire after them. As they passed into a large square, two of the Equalists slammed on the breaks and threw their bolas at their pursuers. Lee watched as the bolas wrapped themselves around the polar bear dog's legs, sending her and her two riders sprawling. Instantly he was standing up straight, staring back at his friends.

They were in trouble. He could see that plain as day as the truck took him further and further away. Now he faced a choice; he could stay with the truck and complete his mission, or he could help his friends.

 _'Son of a Bitch.'_

Jumping from the truck, Lee landed on the handle bars of one of the remaining Equalist motorcycles. He wasted no time in kicking the rider from the seat and taking control of the bike himself. The engine roared and the rear tire squealed as he slammed on the breaks and spun the bike around, racing back toward his friends.

Korra and Mako were already on the ground, paralyzed from the effects of the Equalist's chi blocking. The Equalists were advancing on them with their bolas, ready to take them prisoner. Lee slammed on the breaks and jumped from the bike. It slid across the pavement in a shower of sparks toward the chi blockers like a bowling ball barreling down on the pins.

But the screech of metal on pavement alerted them, and the pair easily dogged the bike. They turned to face their new opponent, twirling their bolas and remaining silent. Lee already had an arrow nocked and at the ready, aiming at the Equalists.

"Your move."

One of the chi blockers sent their bola flying, causing Lee to lean to the side and just barely dodge the weapon. He responded by letting his arrow fly, entangling it in the second chi blocker's bola and disarming him. The two Equalists split up, circling around to Lee's sides so that he had to choose between a target. It was smart. By the time he fired an arrow at one, the other would have closed the distance and taken him down.

Rather then nock another arrow, Lee held his bow at the ready and quickly looked back and forth between his two opponents. The one on his left charged first, like a shark attacking a floundering fish. But his fists met either air or wood as Lee used his bow as a makeshift staff to block the chi blocker's strikes.

He waited until the chi blocker over extended himself in punch before he made his finishing move. Lee ensnared the man's arm between his bow's drawstring and the body of the bow itself before he yanked downward. The chi blocker cried out in pain as his arm gave a sicking snap, and Lee quickly untangled him from his bow and kicked him away.

He barely had time to avoid a kick from the second chi blocker that was aimed at his head. He responded with his own kick, earning a muffled cry and a satisfying crunch as his boot heal made contact with the Equalist's mask. The soft sound of a metal ping reached Lee's ears, causing him to instinctively turn toward the source of the noise. He was rewarded with a burst of green smoke to the face as the first chi blocker's smoke grenade went off. The vigilante coughed and grunted like a smoker, having been temporarily blinded and left unable to breathe.

Lee heard the sound of motorcycle engines roaring to life and tires squealing. The smoke from the grenade cleared just in time for him to see the pair of Equalists ride down the street and disappear. He clenched his teeth in frustration before he turned toward his friends. Korra was thrusting her fist outward in an attempt to firebend, but no flame came forth.

"I can't bend, I can't bend!" Korra said, panic rising in her voice.

"Calm down, it will wear off. Those were chi blockers, Amon's henchmen," Mako said as he rubbed his wrist.

"Amon? You mean that masked guy who hates bending?"

 _'Wow, she really is new in town.'_

"Yeah. That's him. But I don't think he's our main concern right now," Mako said as he turned toward Lee. While his face remained stoic and hidden, Lee felt nervousness build in his chest. There was still the chance that they would recognize his voice, and while Korra may have been naive at times, she wasn't stupid by any stretch.

"Who are you?" she asked. Lee turned his head slightly so that his hood hid his eyes from her.

"A friend," he said, deepening his voice and adding some grit to it in an effort to disguise it.

"You're that vigilante, aren't you? The one on the wanted posters," Mako said.

"What are you two doing, chasing after them?" Lee asked, choosing to ignore the firebender.

"Those chi blockers took a friend of ours," Korra answered.

"He's with the Triads?"

"What? No. Bolin was hired as a temporary bodyguard to try and get money for our place in the championship pot. It''s stupid, I know. But his heart is too big for his own good," Mako explained. Lee remained silent as he began to think over what he knew. Personally he didn't know Bolin very well, but he thought of Korra as a friend. If Korra was trying to help Bolin, then he'd help in his own way.

As for Korra, she eyed Lee warily. The hood and face wrap hid his face so well that she didn't recognize her friend. He was wearing a black jacket, underneath which she could see a pair of bandoleers containing throwing knives crossing his chest to form an x. His lower half consisted of a pair of dark gray trousers and calf high boots. All of this, combined with the quiver full of arrows over his shoulder and bow clutched in his hand left her feeling intimidated.

"Amon is putting on something called The Revelation tomorrow night, chances are your friend has been taken for that," Lee said.

"How do you know that?"

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened. The Equalists have been rounding up Triad members all week."

"So then where is this Revelation happening?" Mako asked. Lee paused for a moment before he answered. He had acquired the location within the past week thanks to painstaking surveillance and interrogation. But sending his two bending friends into a viper pit like an Equalist rally? That wasn't something he could willingly do.

"It's happening tomorrow night, somewhere in the Industrial District," he answered. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the complete truth either. The Industrial District made up almost a quarter of the city, it would be almost impossible for them to locate the rally's location before tomorrow night just by searching on their own.

"You know more then you're telling us," Korra said, her tone making it clear that she was accusing rather then asking.

"So what if I do?"

"The Industrial District covers five square miles, there's no way we can cover all of that before tomorrow night," Mako said.

"You know enough to work out your friend's location. A couple of benders don't need my help," Lee replied as he turned away, putting some venom in the word bender as he went for dramatic effect. The more Korra thought that the vigilante and Lee were two totally different people, the better.

"What do you got against benders?" Korra asked, her own voice containing a defensive tone.

"The vigilante attacks the Triads, everyone knows he hates benders," Mako answered. Lee bit his tongue, not letting the firebender see how his words effected him.

"You two could barely handle a couple of low ranking chi blockers. What makes you think you can take on an entire rally full of well trained foot soldiers?"

"Who do you think you are pal? I'm the Avatar, I think I can handle a few nuts in gas masks," Korra said, her temper rising.

"You are a teen who can bend three elements, you have no combat experience, and you are still new in the city. You will only do more harm then good, Avatar. Go home, let me handle this." Korra let out a roar as she sent a fire blast at Lee. The vigilante easily dodged the flames, scooping up the Equalists' discarded bolas and sending them flying. Both Mako and Korra were ensnared by the flying weapons, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Korra quickly incinerated the bola, freeing her wrists and jumping to her feet ready to fight. But the vigilante was gone. She looked around quickly, but found that she and Mako were indeed alone with just Naga and Pabu.

"Damnit!"

 _Equalist Revelation Rally, the following night._

Lee crouched on a rooftop overlooking the building the Revelation was being held in. For over the past hour he had watched hundreds of people stream inside past the rather large bouncer they had posted at the door. A crowd that large had the vigilante nervous. But he needed to go in there if he wanted to find out who had tried to have Asami kidnapped.

Securing a rope to an arrow, Lee fired at the other rooftop before tying the rope off to a post, creating a makeshift zip line. He quickly slid to the next rooftop before hurrying along and slipping inside through a window. Lee found himself in the rafters above the main crowd, overlooking a large stage. Spotlights flooded the stage with light while the rest of the lights dimmed down.

"Please welcome your hero, your savor: AMON!" The stage retracted and a platform began to raise, revealing Amon, his Lieutenant, and three other chi blockers.

 _'Well, it's nice to see that Amon hasn't lost his flare for the dramatic.'_

Lee leaned in between a pair of metal beams, watching as the Equalist leader took a microphone.

"My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man. But when he did, that firebender took my family from me, and then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since," Amon started his speech, pacing back and forth before the crowd. Lee could easily see the crowd reacting to the Equalist's leader's story, but the vigilante himself wasn't so easily swayed.

Everybody had their own sad story, and Amon wasn't an exception.

"As you may know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City. And if she was here, she would say that bending brings balance to the world. But she is wrong, bending has been the cause of every war, in every era," Amon continued. Even as the crowd reacted with agreement and enthusiasm, Lee couldn't help but frown. For an orphan who didn't finish school, he knew his history. The Hundred Year War started because of Fire Lord Sozin's greed and lust for power, bending was just a weapon in a very large arsenal.

"I know many of you have come to see the Archer of Republic City as a protector of non benders, someone who fights the Triads when the Bending establishment refuses to do so. However noble he may seem, I feel that I must warn you that he has a secret agenda. Just this previous night, the vigilante attacked Equalist members side by side with Avatar Korra. People of Republic City, the Archer is no friend to non benders! He is either a puppet of the Bending regime, or a lone madman, but he is no friend!"

 _'Personally attacking me alongside Korra? Now that's just pissing me off.'_

"Now I know that you have been wondering, 'what is the Revelation?' You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, our world has been watched over by the spirits. They have spoken to me, and they have told me that the Avatar has failed to keep balance. And so they have chosen me to lead the world into a new era. To do this, they have bestowed upon me the ability to take a person's bending away. Permanently!"

Now Lee blinked in surprise, and disbelief. There was no way, there couldn't be...

"And now for a demonstration. Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of Republic City's most notorious criminals," Amon said as stepped to the side. A couple of grunts walked five triad members out onto the stage. The first was Lightning Bolt Zolt, and the last was a very frightened looking Bolin.

As the vigilante nocked an arrow, the crowd below to boo Zolt as he was shoved forward and his restraints undone.

"Ahh, boo yourselves!" the Triad leader shouted at the crowd.

"In the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending," Amon said as he assumed a fighting stance.

"You're gonna regret doin' that, pal!" Zolt yelled before he sent several fire blasts toward the Equalist leader. Lee watched as Amon danced around the blasts, rapidly closing the distance between the two. Seeing his first tactic fail, Zolt generated a bolt of lightning and shot it at Amon. But the Equalist ducked under the arc before grabbing Zolt's arm and twisting himself behind the bender.

He grabbed Zolt by the neck, causing the bender's arc of lightning to fly all across the empty stage. Then he pressed his thumb into the middle of Zolt's forehead. The lightning arc sputtered into a large gout of flame before dying out completely. After a moment, Amon released his hold on Zolt, who fell flat upon stage. Zolt forced himself upward, thrusting his fist upward at the Equalist leader in an attempt to bend, but nothing happened.

"What...what did you do to me?" the Triad leader asked, looking from his fist to the man standing above him.

"Your firebending is gone. Forever!"

 _'Well, I'll be damned, he can actually do it.'_

Lee just happened to look down at that moment, and what he saw surprised him almost as much as Amon' abilities. A young woman with a dark completion and dark hair was standing next to a young man who was pale and had amber eyes. She was wearing a hat and trench coat to hide her identity, but Lee recognized her all the same.

"Korra, you stupid, arrogant, hotheaded, beautiful, clever woman," he whispered to himself. The vigilante watched as the two conversed back and forth before grasping each others' hands in a handshake and separating. He followed Korra, slipping from beam to beam like a cat on a tree limb as she made her way to a side hallway.

Inside, he watched as she began to turn several valves on the steam pipes that lined the walls, releasing steam into the air. Lee couldn't help but smirk as he realized what she was trying to do. With enough steam, she could create a distraction and allow Mako to grab Bolin.

"What are you doing back here?" It was the bouncer from the door, and he looked like he had just caught Korra with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Is there a problem, my brother?" Korra asked.

"This area is off limits."

"I was looking for the bathroom?" Lee forced himself not to face palm as the bouncer produced a wrench. Korra looked back and forth between the man and his weapon, her eyes turning steely and her stance widening as she anticipated a fight.

Just as the bouncer raised the wrench to swing it downward toward Korra, Lee dropped from his hiding place and landed on the big man's shoulders. The sudden addition of weight threw the bouncer off balance, causing his swing to go wide and sail over Korra's head. Lee wasted no time, wrapping his legs around the bouncer's neck and head before twisting his body backwards and off to the side.

The already off-balanced man fell, slamming into a pipe and losing his grip on his wrench in the process. Lee landed with almost cat like grace, readying his bow should the bouncer decide to stand back up. Korra's face was one of surprise and awe. He had come out of no where, and taken down this guy with his legs alone. Her surprise quickly melted into suspicion and rage as she recalled their last encounter.

"You!" she hissed, preparing to roast him with a fire blast. Rather then turn and face her, or even lower his bow, Lee kicked the bouncer's fallen wrench to her.

"You can roast me, or you can save your friend. Not both," he said. For a moment, it looked as though Korra was going to blast him, but then she picked up the wrench and began swinging, knocking several valves off of the pipes and flooding the hallway with steam. As she did that, Lee stalked forward and grabbed the bouncer by the front of his shirt.

"Where are the rest of the Triad prisoners being kept?"

"End of this hallway," the bouncer said, his voice slurred. Lee drove his fist into the man's face, knocking him out cold before he stood to his full height.

"This should be enough," Korra said, resting the wrench on her shoulder as she looked over her handy work.

"Save your friend, and then get out of here. This place will be swarming with Equalists soon," Lee said before he started off.

"Hey...thanks," Korra said hesitantly, making Lee pause without turning to face her. She wasn't sure if she could consider him a friend or an enemy. He had shown elements of both within the past twenty four hours.

"You can thank me by getting out of here. Until we meet again, Avatar," the vigilante said before disappearing into growing cloud of steam. Korra watched where he had stood for a moment, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. Then she bent the steam around her and thrust outward, causing part of the wall to explode due to the pressure.

Lee sprinted down the hallway with his bow clutched firmly in his fist. Korra's steam blast had provided him with the perfect distraction, meaning that any Equalists that had been in the hallway were now racing into the main chamber to face the potential threat. Panicked screams echoed through the walls as the civilians in the crowd ran in terror.

He finally reached the end of the hallway, and knew he was in the right place. Unlike the wooden doors he had passed, this door was made of reinforced metal. Lee reached out and slid the bolt back before allowing the door to swing inward on its own. The room was dark, with the only light filtering in from the hallway.

Other then that, the room was totally bare, except for a single woman tied to a chair in the center. Her head was slumped back, showing that her throat had been slashed. Lee stalked forward and turned her head, getting a good look at her face. He sighed once before running his hand down her face, closing her vacant eyes.

It was Syu Shun, the woman he had been looking for.

Lee drew an arrow and aimed back into the hallway, his eyes burning with anger. Standing a short distance away was The Blade. He walked forward so that he was out of the room, but kept the arrow aimed between The Blade's eyes.

"Amon said she would be alive!"

"You are an enemy of the Revolution," the assassin answered in a monotone voice before extending his blade with a twirl. Lee gritted his teeth, if Amon wanted to make an enemy out of him, so be it.

He fired three arrows in rapid succession, intending to turn the assassin into a pin cushion. But The Blade dashed forward, easily batting the arrows aside with a few simple twists of his blade before descending upon the vigilante. Lee was stunned at the assassin's speed, but he recovered quickly as he used his bow to parry The Blade's strikes.

But one of the assassin's stabs slipped under his guard, and Lee cried out in pain as he felt the sword plunge into his side. Now he was wounded, and wounded bad. He needed a way to end this fight before he got ran through. Drawing another arrow, Lee fired it at a nearby valve. The metal wheel was knocked clean off the pipe, sending a stream of pressurized steam straight into The Blade's face mask.

The assassin grunted in pain, blinded by the steam. As he recovered and readied to resume the fight, he realized that the vigilante was gone. Standing up straight, The Blade collapsed his sword with a twirl of his wrist. Amon would not be pleased about this.

 _Abandoned Factory._

"What happened?" Asami cried as Lee stumbled into the middle of the set up, taking down his hood and face wrap . His hand was red with blood as he cluched his wound. Dropping his bow, he fell onto a table top like it was a bed.

"Amon decided that he and the vigilante weren't going to get along," he grunted in pain. Asami quickly grabbed a medical kit and set to work on patching Lee up, following his instruction on applying the bandages and stitches.

"You should really see a healer about this," Asami said as she gently applied stitching to Lee's wound. Lee winced as he felt the needle bind his flesh back together.

"And how am I suppose to explain how I got stabbed?" he asked.

"I don't know, mugging gone wrong?" Lee blinked once.

"Damnit, why didn't I think of that?" Asami couldn't help but chuckle as she finished her patching.

"What would you do without me?" she asked. Lee sat up, wincing and clutching his side as he went.

"Probably bleed to death. I need a drink," he said. Asami smiled before reaching into a drawer and producing a bottle of sake along with a pair of cups.

"So what did you find out?" she asked as she poured out a drink for Lee and herself.

"Amon has the ability to take a person's bending away. Permanently," Lee said as he accepted a cup. Asami cocked her eyebrow in surprise and shock.

"That's not possible."

"I saw it with my own eyes Asami. He took Lightning Bolt Zolt's bending, right there in front of the spirits and everybody."

"I thought that the Equalists were just a bunch of crazies, but this, this makes them a real threat," Asami said as she sat down, looking into her own cup.

"There's more. Amon had Shun killed. We're back to square one on finding out who tried to kidnap you," Lee said.

"With all that's been going on, I almost forgot about that," Asami said before she downed her drink. Lee looked into his cup, eyeing his own reflection.

"I faced The Blade tonight, and I lost. I can't go into a fight unprepared like that again," he said, more to himself then Asami.

"But now that you have fought him, you know what to expect, and you can go into the fight more prepared next time." Lee picked up his bow and looked it over. Several slash and hack marks lined the dark wood where he had fended off the assassin's blows.

Downing his drink in one go, Lee nodded once. He had been beaten for the first time tonight. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

 **So there you have it. Lee fought The Blade, and almost fought Korra. Will they become friends, or enemies? How will Lee defeat the assassin? What will happen next? As always, leave a review, or a PM, and take a guess. Who knows? You may just guess right.**


	7. Recoveries

**Hey guys, I'm back with a long overdue chapter. Hopefully you guys will still enjoy this.**

 _Abandoned Equalist base._

Haya walked around the large training room with a sense of caution. Her left hand held a flashlight, while her right was balled into a fist, ready to send out a cable at a moment's notice. The entire place looked ransacked. Training dummies and other pieces of equipment were smashed to bits, telling her that there had been some kind of fight. A few blood pools and trails told her that there had been casualties.

But the Detective wasn't here for the Equalists. Unlike the rest of the Police force, which had seemingly been dedicated to fighting them full time, Haya was still assigned to capture the vigilante. She needed to pick up the trail somewhere, and her sources said that this was a good place to start. Finding a poster of Amon on the wall, she realized that her source had been right.

A single black arrow was logged in the dead center of the red circle on Amon's mask, and the symbol for the word lies was carved into his face.

"So, the Archer is targeting Equalists as well as Triads now," She said to herself as she yanked the arrow free and looked it over, "how very interesting."

* * *

The hollow sound of bamboo bouncing off of concrete filled the hideout as Lee danced about in a small cluster of columns. A pair of hunting knives were in his hands, slicing through the bamboo with each lightning quick strike. The razor sharp blades pierced the bamboo like it was butter, making short work of each pillar. With a yell and a downward crossed slice from each knife, Lee split the last column in two.

"You seem chipper today," he said as he stood upright, panting from his workout. Across from him, Asami was walking to her usual tinker spot. She was supporting a warm smile, and her step had a spring in it.

"I had a date last night, and you'll never guess with who," she said.

"Um..any one of Republic City's eligible bachelors?" Lee asked as he sat the hunting knives down and picked up a kukri. He twirled the blade in his hand a few times to get a feel for it before he moved back toward the remnants of the bamboo.

"Try Mako," Asami said, her voice containing a hint of pride and arrogance.

"The great Pro-Bender himself, eh? What, did you run his ass over with your moped too?"

"Umm..." the Heiress blushed bright red and looked at her feet. Lee's eyebrows went up in disbelief.

"Seriously?! Spirits woman, you're a danger to everyone on the road with that thing!"

"Hey! It's not my fault that people keep running out in front of me. It's not like I go around driving down the sidewalk!" Lee didn't bother with a retort as he began to slice through the bamboo remnants with his curved blade. Asami watched her friend with a hint of worry. Ever since his encounter with The Blade, he had been pushing himself harder and harder in both his training and his work.

"You know, you've been really pushing yourself lately. Maybe you should take a break?" she said.

"I'm fine," Lee grunted as he cut down another post.

"Not that I'm looking for an argument, but you still have those stitches to worry about. If you pull them out while doing something like this, I'll strap you to the hood of my car," she said threateningly.

"And what else am I suppose to do?" Lee asked as he turned back towards her, "Amon personally made me the most hated man in Republic City. It's me versus the Equalists, the Triads, and the Police. If I don't stay at my peak, we're finished."

"Working yourself to death isn't the answer either. Just take a break for a little while, get out of here, go do something fun," Asami said, motioning toward the door as she began to tinker with her devices.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Why don't you go see Korra? She did invite you to Air Temple Island, didn't she?" Lee considered her suggestion as he sat the curved blade back on the table and grabbed up a towel, wiping the sweat from his brow. He was interested in taking up Korra's invitation, even if it meant turning his attention away from training.

"Alright, fine. I'll go pay her a visit. But you better have something interesting whipped up for me when I get back," he said before picking up his jacket and slipping out the door. Asami simply smiled in victory as she touched a small lever on the side of the device she was working on. Her smile widened as a single cable shot out and attached itself to the opposite wall.

 _Air Temple Island._

The late afternoon sky was starting to turn from blue to yellow as Lee walked up the steps toward the Temple. Getting to the island on the ferry had proven to be a little more difficult then he had anticipated thanks to the security set up by the Order of the White Lotus. It had taken almost an hour, and a phone call to the island, to convince them that he was Korra's friend and not some Equalist agent up to no good.

At the top of the stairs, Lee found Korra moving slowly through the motions of airbending. He paused and slid his hands into his pockets as he watched her move. Airbending moves weren't like the refined bending movements of the city that he had become use to. It was more elegant and graceful, dance like in some situations. To watch someone as forceful and tough as Korra practice something like that was an interesting sight to behold.

"It's more like dancing then bending," he said, thinking out loud with an observing tone. Korra jumped at the sound of his voice, having been contained within her own little world as she practiced.

"Lee! Oh, you scared me. Don't do that," she said, her cheeks gaining a tint of color at how easily he had jumped her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Just making an observation is all," he said with an apologetic grin. Now that he had a chance to look at her better, Lee noticed that something was off about her. Her eyes kept glancing about, like she was expecting to catch something that wasn't there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, when a pretty girl invites me to come visit her, I usually take her up on her offer when I get the chance." Lee smiled when he noticed the light blush creep up Korra's cheeks at his complement.

"So what is there to do around here? I've never actually been to Air Temple Island before," he said. Korra let out a puff of breath as she resumed her airbending stances.

"Nothing really. Everything around here is dedicated to airbending," she said before her eyes lit up, "Hey, how about a spar?"

 _'Dangerous territory you're straying into, Feilong.'_

"A spar? You mean like a fight between you and me?" Lee asked. Korra nodded with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, only it's for training purposes. We're not actually trying to hurt each other."

"I don't know. I mean you are the Avatar, and I'm a non bender..." Lee said as he rubbed the back of his head. He didn't really want to fight Korra. She had seen his fighting style as the vigilante, and there was the possibility that she would pick up on the similarities, or worse yet, recognize some of his moves.

"Being a non bender didn't stop you from taking down two Triad thugs," Korra deadpanned as she crossed her arms. Lee sighed. There was no way he was getting out of this, and he knew it.

"Alright fine, just no bending," he said, jabbing his finger to make a point. Instantly, Korra's grin returned.

"In that case, don't expect me to go easy on you, city boy," she declared arrogantly, assuming a fighting stance. Lee took off his jacket and tossed it to the side before crossing his arms and tapping his foot. He began to look at his fingernails as if he was board. In fact, he looked so uninterested that it threw Korra off.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Lee's eyes glanced upward from his fingernails for the briefest instant.

"Someone seems to think they're hot shit when it comes to fighting. I'm just waiting to see what you've got," he said. Korra's eyes flashed with anger, and her body tensed like a cat ready to pounce on it's prey.

"Just remember, we're not holding back. It's going to hurt," Lee warned, looking pointedly at her.

"Good, then I won't have to worry about retaliation later," she snarled before she sprang forward, intending to drive her fist home into his face. But Lee was fast, so fast that she almost didn't register that he was moving. He ensnared her outstretched arm and twisted so that he was behind her before planting his foot in her kidney. The resulting action had Korra looking at the ground with her arm threatening to be pulled out of it's socket.

After a moment, Lee released his hold on Korra and began to circle her, like a predator sizing up it's prey. She could feel his gaze on her the whole time, like he was studying every single thing about her very existence, like he was peering into her soul.

It irritated her to no end, and she struck outward again. This time, Lee slapped her fist to the side before bringing both of his hands together on each of her ears, essentially clapping his hands with her head in between them. The Avatar saw stars as the strike left her dazed, and Lee wasted no time in seizing the opportunity. He hooked his leg under her own and took her to the ground, pinning her there with a strike poised at her jugular.

"You're too straightforward in your attack. You need to change it up, study your enemy, look for a new angle," he said before he stood and offered her a hand up. Korra took it, but rather then be hauled to her feet, she hooked her leg around Lee's neck and yanked downward. The resulting action flipped the two so that Korra was on top of Lee now, her own fist ready to strike.

"Thanks for the advice," she said with a grin. Lee returned the grin, but something about it made Korra's blood run cold. It was small, and confident, the grin of a humble winner. Before she could react, Lee quickly brought his fist down on the back of her lower leg. The Avatar let out a squeal as her leg instantly locked up in pain. In an instant, he had reversed the situation again, only this time he had his boot knife at the ready.

"That's not fair," she said. Lee simply smiled before he pulled the blade away.

"Republic City street fighting lesson number one: never fight fair," he said before offering a hand to help her up. This time, she took the hand and allowed herself to be hauled to her feet.

"That was a new one, the guys at the White Lotus Compound never fought like that," she said, panting.

"I'll take that as a complement," Lee replied with a pained expression. He gingerly brought his hand to his side and instantly felt a spike of pain. Pulling up his shirt, he was greeted with the sight of blood. His stitches had torn sometime during their spar. None of this escaped Korra's attention either.

"Spirits, you're bleeding!" she said in surprise.

"Gee, thank you Captain Obvious, I hadn't noticed."

"Let me look at it."

"It's fine, just a little torn stitching is all." Korra gave him a pointed look.

"I'm a healer as well as a waterbender, I can help with this mister too long, tall, and proud," she said. Lee sighed.

"Alright. If you really are a healer I don't see the harm," he said. Korra led the way inside to the kitchen, where she bent a blob of water onto his exposed wound. Lee gritted his teeth at first, but then let out a sigh of relief as the pain died away.

"How did this happen?" she asked, her eyes glued to her work as she slowly stitched his flesh back together.

"An accident at work, no big deal." The Avatar glanced up at him with an eyebrow cocked.

"An accident, huh? Cause this sure looks like a stab wound to me."

"Okay, fine. I had a little disagreement with a Triad member the other night," he said.

"Disagreement?"

"Yeah. He thought I should give him all of my money, I disagreed." Korra gave him a look like he was insane.

"You can't seem to stay away from the Triads, can you?"

"I live in the heart of Triad territory, call it an occupational hazard." At that moment, Pema entered the kitchen carrying a large bowl of salad. She immediately took notice of the two teens standing next to the sink, as well as Korra's healing work.

"Um, hello," she said, catching the two by surprise.

"Oh, hey Pema, just a little first aid," Korra said before she bent the blob of water back into the sink.

"I can see that, and you are?"

"My name is Lee, I'm a friend of Korra's," Lee said, lowering his shirt.

"It's nice to meet you, Lee. I'm Pema, Master Tenzin's wife. Korra, we are about to eat dinner. Lee, you are more then welcome to join us. Any friend of Korra's is a friend of ours," she said before leaving the room again. Lee waited for a heartbeat before he spoke.

"I wasn't expecting to be dining with the world's only airbending master when I came here. I would have worn something more presentable," he said, earning a chuckle from Korra. She led the way out of the kitchen and into a small dining room. A low table sat in the center of the room, surrounding a small fire pit and a suspended pot.

Three children sat around the table, waiting for the meal to begin. The youngest was a bald boy, about five years in age. Next to him sat the middle child, a girl with her hair up in a pair of balls. Across the table from them sat the eldest child, a girl with her nose buried in a book.

"Lee, these are Tenzin and Pema's kids; Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Kids, this is my friend Lee," Korra said, giving introductions. In an instant, Ikki was standing before the newcomer, her hand on chin as she studied him closely.

"You're different then Korra's other friends. What gives?" she asked. Lee cocked his eyebrow as he glanced back and forth between Korra and the young girl.

"Different how?"

"Mako and Bolin carry themselves different. And Korra looks at you differently then she does them. So what gives?" The growing look of horror on the Avatar's face didn't escape Lee's notice.

"I guess it's just cause I'm different from them. I don't play Pro-Bending or anything like that," he said.

"Ikki, give Mr. Feilong some space," came Tenzin's voice from behind them. The girl gave a short pout before returning to her seat while Korra and Lee turned toward the airbender.

"Councilman Tenzin," Lee greeted, giving a short bow out of respect. Tenzin returned the bow.

"A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Feilong. Please, have a seat." Korra sat on the far end of the table, with Lee sitting to her right while Tenzin and Pema took the seats opposite of them. Everyone bowed their heads as Tenzin began to say grace.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" A man wearing Water Tribe apparel was standing in the doorway. Tenzin sprang to his feet, clearly surprised and unhappy to see the newcomer.

"Tarrlok, what are you doing here? This is my home, we're about to have dinner!"

"Good, because I am absolutely famished. And an airbender never turns away a hungry guest, am I right?" Tenzin sighed.

"I suppose," he said before he sank back into his seat. Pema glared at him, but Tenzin could only shrug. Lee filled his bowl with rice as he watched the man cross the room and take a seat between Korra and Ikki. His work as the vigilante meant that he had heard the councilman's name more then once, mostly for corruption.

"You must be Avatar Korra. I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative of the Northern Water Tribe," he said, introducing himself. Korra stood and bowed respectfully to him.

"Nice to meet you." As they sat down, Ikki immediately eyed the Councilman.

"Why do you have six ponytails? And why do you smell like an old lady? You're weird," the young girl jabbered. Lee couldn't help but give a half smile as he continued to eat. Tarrlok gave the young airbender an awkward smile before he returned his attention to Korra.

"I've been following your adventures in the papers closely. Single handily infiltrating Amon's rally? That took some real initiative."

"Thanks. I think you're the first authority figure who's happy I'm here," she said.

"The city is much better off now that you are here."

"Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok," Tenzin interrupted, "What do you want from Korra?"

"Patience, Tenzin, I'm getting to that. As I'm sure you've heard, I'm putting a task force together to take down the three major threats to this city; Amon, The Blade, and the vigilante." Korra gave the Councilman a confused look. Lee continued to watch and eat in silence, curious to see what Korra's response would be.

"I can understand the assassin and Amon, but the Archer? He helped us escape the rally," Korra said.

"Ah yes, I heard about his involvement. I can assure you, Avatar Korra, that the vigilante is nothing more then a common criminal, and like all criminals he must be brought to justice."

"Then why hasn't the Council formed a Task Force to bring him in? You have the power to sway the vote in your favor," Lee said. All eyes slowly turned toward him.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've been introduced. You are?"

"Lee Feilong, I'm a friend of Korra's."

"Ah yes, I remember reading your record after Detective and Chief Beifong tried to form a case against you for being the vigilante," Tarrlok said.

"Tried and failed, before you get any ideas," Lee replied.

"Quite. Anyway, my point is that I want you to join this Task Force, Avatar. With you at the forefront, the Equalists won't stand a chance."

"Join your Task Force? I...I'm sorry, I can't," Korra said. Shocked silence fell over the whole dining room. While Korra continued to eat her rice, everyone else's jaw was on the floor. Even Lee had stopped eating and was giving her a look.

"I...must admit I'm surprised, I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me fight Amon," Tarrlok said, flabbergasted.

"Me too," Tenzin muttered.

"I came to Republic City to learn airbending from Tenzin, not fight assassins or track down vigilantes. For the time being, I need to focus on that," Korra said.

"But your duty is to the city as well as mastering the elements. You'd be getting on the job Avatar training while preforming a service to the city."

"Korra gave you her answer, Tarrlok, it's time for you to go," Tenzin said.

"Alright. But I'm not giving up on you yet, you'll be hearing from me soon. It was an honor to meet you, Avatar Korra," Tarrlok said as he stood, bowed to Korra and left. Ikki sprang to her feet and waved after the Councilman.

"Bye Bye, Ponytail man!" Lee couldn't help but smile around his tea.

 _Lee's Apartment, one week later._

Lee was standing in his kitchen, stirring a pot of noodles. His undershirt was draped over his shoulder, leaving his torso exposed to the open air. The stab wound on his side was now little more then an angry red line, a new scar to match several more that crisscrossed his body.

"It's missing something..." he said to himself as he began to look through the cabinets for his missing ingredient. A knock came from the door as he pulled out an unmarked glass bottle half filled with a brown liquid. Setting the bottle on the counter next to the stove, Lee made his way to the door and opened it. To his surprise, he found Korra standing on the other side.

"Korra? Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked, quickly taking his shirt from his shoulder and sliding it on. The Avatar's cheeks were a shade of pink as she looked over his chest, but she quickly retained herself.

"Tarrlok is throwing this gala in my honor, and I've got an invitation for myself and a plus one, andIwouldreallylikeitifyouwentwithme," she said. Lee blinked as he attempted to translate the last half of Korra's sentence.

"Okay, first of all, come on in," he said, standing aside to allow her entrance into the apartment. Korra shuffled into the room, her left arm grasping her right in nervousness. Lee closed the door before he walked back to his spot by the stove and picked up the bottle.

"Secondly, take a good stiff jolt," he said as he spun the cap off of the bottle and handed it to her. Korra took the bottle and immediately took a big gulp. In an instant, she gagged and coughed, her eyes bugging out of her head in surprise.

"What was that?" she asked between gasps.

"Kyoshi Fireball Whiskey, guaranteed to cure you of nerviousness and fear...and kill all forms of bacteria. Now, care to go through that sentence again?" Korra let out another cough before she took another breath and tried again.

"I said, I would really like it if you went with me." Lee cocked an eyebrow at her as he took the bottle back.

"Did the almighty Avatar just ask me out on a date?" he asked. Korra's cheeks flushed bright red and she gave a small nod. Lee took a large swig of the whiskey himself before he dumped what was left in the bottle into the noodles.

"Well, the spirits frown on a coward. I'll go, so long as someone provides something for me to wear."

 **So there it is. Now I know there wasn't much vigilante action in this chapter, but there will be a lot more next chapter, I promise. Until then, drop a review, a PM, ask a question, and let me know what you liked or didn't like about it.**


	8. Island Showdown

**Hey guys, I've got a new chapter for you. You didn't think I had given up on this story did you? There's a lot more vigilante action in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy.**

"I must really like this girl," Lee muttered to himself as he tugged on his collar. He was wearing a nice red suit that had been loaned to him from Tenzin. Being in crowds made him uncomfortable. The fact that pretty much every rich and or famous person in the city was here didn't help matters either. A few of them had been visited by the vigilante, and Lee always had the fear that someone would recognize him.

Korra, who was currently on his arm, was wearing a dark blue evening dress and had her hair out of its usual ponytail. It was a far cry from her daily appearance, and Lee was finding that he enjoyed it. It showed off more of her feminine side, rather then the tough tomboy exterior she usually wore.

"I can't believe all of this is for me," Korra said as she looked over the crowd in awe.

"I'm not sure what Tarrlok's plotting, but keep your guard up. It's not like him to throw a party just for the fun of it," Tenzin said. Lee's eyes narrowed as he saw the Northern Representative appear out of the crowd. He looked every inch the politician, and the young vigilante fought the urge to go for a hidden knife.

"So glad you could make it, Avatar Korra. If you'll excuse us, the city awaits it's hero," Tarrlok said before leading Korra away. The Avatar tightened her grip on Lee's arm and dragged him along. If the Councilman disapproved of Lee's presence, he didn't show it. Instead he came to a halt before Hiroshi Sato.

"Korra, Mr. Feilong, it is my pleasure to introduce Republic City's most famous industrialist; Hiroshi Sato," he said. Both Korra and Lee bowed politely.

"Nice to meet you," Korra said sweetly.

"Hey, boss," Lee added. Hiroshi smiled and returned the two's bow.

"We're all expecting great things from you," the inventor said. Korra's smile faded a little.

"Right...Greatness..."

"Hey Korra," Mako said as he, Asami and Bolin walked up. Korra's eyes narrowed at the newcomer in suspicion. Lee and Asami, however, acknowledged each other with a small barely noticeable nod. Their nightly activities were best left unspoken off.

"I know that Lee has already met her, but Avatar Korra, this is my daughter, Asami," Hiroshi said.

"It's lovely to meet you, both Mako and Lee have told me so much about you," Asami said. Korra's eyes of suspicion now turned toward Lee as she folded her arms.

"I thought you lived down by the docks, how do you know her?" she asked. Lee could detect a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I met Asami shortly after arriving in the city. She helped me get my job at Future Industries," he explained.

"One, which I must admit, I was skeptical of at first. But Lee has proven himself to be a fine worker, and is well on his way to becoming his shift's foreman," Hiroshi added. Lee felt his ears burn at his boss' praise, and he couldn't help himself from giving a small smile. Korra seemed to soften a bit at that before she returned her gaze to Mako.

"And what about you, Team Captain? How did you two meet?"

"Asami ran him over with her moped," Bolin said nonchalantly.

"What?! Are you okay?"

"He's standing upright on his own and walking without a limp, I'd say he's fine," Lee said. Mako shot him a glare, but left it at that. At that moment, Tarrlok returned and directed Korra away from them, leaving Lee to stand with the others.

"Soooo...are you and Korra like a thing?" Bolin asked. Lee shrugged as he took a drink from a passing waiter.

"She asked me here as her plus one tonight. If we're a 'thing'...that remains to be seen I guess," he said. Swirling his drink around his glass, Lee scanned the crowd for Korra. He didn't know Mako or Bolin enough to carry on a decent conversation, and talking to Asami was out of the question in order to keep his vigilante side a secret.

Spotting the Avatar a short distance away, Lee quickly made his way over to her. She had a glum look on her face, like she had just gotten some bad news.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked.

"I joined Tarrlok's Task Force," Korra replied, a look of guilt on her face. Lee blinked.

"That's...that's not good, Korra."

"It's time I got some on the job experience at being the Avatar, and the Task Force is the best way of doing that," she explained half heartily.

"It's not just Amon the Task Force is going after. The Blade, that vigilante, Korra you don't have enough experience to face something like that yet." Korra's eyes went wide before she looked away, her right arm gripping her left.

"That's what he said."

"Who?"

"The vigilante. He said I was inexperienced and that I'd only do more harm then good." Lee felt a pang of guilt go through his gut. He had said that in an effort to protect her and keep her from facing the Equalists. Clearly she had taken it to heart far more then was intended.

"Listen, you're the Avatar. The only person who can make your choices is you. Not some Task Force and certainly not some nut with a bow," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"So...you support me joining the Task Force?" Lee sighed.

"No. But whatever you choose to do, I'll have your back. Just promise me you'll be careful, and you won't do anything rash," he said. Korra smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks Lee," she said.

 _Abandoned Factory. One week later._

"So just how bad are things looking?" Asami asked as Lee slid the new device she had been working on over his left wrist. It was primarily a fingerless leather glove with a small dart and a spool of wire attached to it. He was wearing his vigilante outfit with the hood down and his bow secured across his midsection.

"Well, Korra joined a task force that has personally made me one of the three most wanted men in the city. I'd say it's pretty bad," Lee replied as he tightened a few straps. A week had passed since the Gala, and Lee had kept an eye on the Task Force's every move.

Satisfied that the device was secure, Lee took aim and squeezed a small lever built into the palm of his glove. Instantly a burst of pressured air erupted from the device, shooting a dart and a cable across the room.

"Release to retract the cable, double tap to detach the cable," Asami said. Lee did as instructed

and released the cable. A grin crossed the vigilante's face.

"You've really outdone yourself this time, Asami," he praised. The heiress beamed at the complement. At that moment, a bang echoed throughout the warehouse, making both of them jump and turn toward the noise. Drawing his bow, Lee raised his hood and took a cautious stance.

"Put your hood up," he instructed as he nocked an arrow. Asami quickly did as she was told, raising her jacket's hood.

"What is it?" she asked. A section of the factory wall suddenly fell inward with a loud crash, and several men wearing the blue Task Force uniform stormed in.

"Republic City Police! You're under arrest!" Spinning on the ball of his feet, Lee fired his arrow not at the attacking Task Force, but at a breaker box along the far wall. Sparks flew from the box and the factory was plunged into pitch darkness as the lights went out.

"Get out of here, I'll hold them off," he said to Asami. The heiress quickly slipped away into the shadows, leaving Lee to face the Task Force on his own.

 _Well, nothing like a field test._

Raising the gauntlet upward, the vigilante fired a cable toward the ceiling and allowed himself to be pulled upward toward the rafters. He had just found himself a spot amongst the metal beams when the first of the flashlight beams pierced the darkness. Lee watched as several of the Task Force members began to search the factory, looking over the gear he and Asami had been forced to abandon.

"There's no one here, Detective. The suspect has fled," one of the Task Force members reported. Lee recognized the Detective he was speaking to. Haya Beifong was standing in the middle of the Task Force, looking over a table that had several different types of arrowheads on it.

"No, he's still here," Haya said before stomping her foot into the floor. Lee's eyes went wide as he realized what the Detective had just done.

 _Seismic Sense! Shit!_

"There!" Haya shouted, pointing directly at him. The vigilante quickly drew an arrow and let it fly at cluster of Task Force members that had gathered around the Detective. Just before the arrow reached them, it exploded into a bright white flash, blinding everyone on the floor. Lee wasted no time, using the opportunity to climb out of an exhaust window nearby and slip away into the night.

 _Lee's Apartment._

"What happened back there?" Asami asked as Lee climbed in the window. The vigilante closed the window and the blinds before lowering his hood.

"Beifong has more of a hard on for the vigilante then I originally thought," he replied, setting his bow on the table.

"Doesn't she have the entire police force to run rather then worry about one guy?"

"No, not Lin. Detective Haya Beifong. She led the raid on the hideout tonight," Lee explained as he turned on the radio and sat in a chair. Soft jazz filtered out of the device as he buried his face in his hands. Exhaustion from the events of the night was evident in his posture.

"That concludes our smooth jazz hour, and now for some news. Earlier today Avatar Korra openly issued a challenge to Equalist leader Amon for a duel this evening tonight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. While it remains unknown if the Equalist Leader will appear, the Avatar has assured the press that she will be there," the radio announcer said. Lee looked at the radio with a tired resignation before pulling himself out of the chair with a groan.

"Where are you going?" Asami asked.

"Aang Memorial Island. Someone needs to keep an eye on Korra," he replied.

"You need rest."

"If Amon is involved, then The Blade probably is as well. And bodies always pile up when he is around. If something happens to Korra and I wasn't there to do something, I'd never forgive myself." Asami sighed in resignation, realizing that there was no way she could talk him out of it.

"Good luck," she said.

 _Aang Memorial Island. Midnight._

Korra stood atop the clock at the base of Aang's statue, looking out toward the city skyline. Watching from the shadows a short distance away, Lee held his breath and studied the area like a hawk looking for prey. He didn't like the situation one bit. Korra was too exposed for him to protect her completely. The only thing he could do was watch and wait for something to happen, which meant that he was using her as bait.

Korra jumped as the clock began to chime midnight. Lee watched her movements with an almost scientific like study. Although her stance was strong and ready for a fight, it was the little things that he took notice off. Her eyes darted about with a nervous wildness. Her breathing was heavy and short, like she had just got done running a marathon. All of this led him to one conclusion.

 _'She's terrified'_

On the ledge above her, Lee noticed a small amount of movement. Focusing his attention on the spot, he was able to make out a single figure looking down upon the unsuspecting Avatar. Nocking an arrow, Lee kept watch, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. But the figure simply watched, standing like a statue.

The minutes ticked by in tense silence, the whole time Korra completely unaware of the two figures watching her. Finally, the Avatar let out a yawn and stretched her arms over her head.

"Looks like you're a no show, Amon," she said with a hint of cockiness in her voice. At that moment, the figure on the ledge moved. A collapsible sword appeared in its hands, causing Lee to mentally curse and draw back on the arrow. The Blade gave his sword a twirl before stepping off the ledge, intending to use gravity as he brought his blade down on the unsuspecting teen.

Fast as a snake strike, Lee loosed his arrow at the falling target, striking the assassin and throwing him off course. The Blade landed with an ungraceful crash, causing Korra to jump in surprise while Lee nocked another arrow and took aim. Standing up, the assassin leveled his weapon as he stared Korra down.

"What the...you're not Amon!" the Avatar snapped, raising her fists. Rather then answer, the assassin reversed his grip on his sword and began to charge forward, intending to use a wide sweep and take Korra's head. Another arrow soared through the air, and The Blade deflected it to the side purely out of instinct. Both Korra and the assassin turned toward the direction that the arrow had come from to find Lee stepping out of the shadows. The young vigilante had slid his bow across his midsection, and his kukri.

"You and I have some unfinished business," he said to the assassin, making no effort to disguise his voice. Korra blinked in confusion and recognition at the sound of his voice, but did little more in reaction due to the situation they were in. The Blade looked back and forth between his target and the newcomer before twirling his sword and returning it to his original grip.

"Amon will be pleased," he said, his voice monotone like that of a machine. With that, the assassin and the vigilante sprang toward each other, their blades meeting in midair with a clang. Lee quickly disengaged their blades, leaping back a short distance before attempting a stab at the assassin's side.

The Blade parried his sword, swatting it aside before reversing his swing in an effort to behead the vigilante. Lee ducked, rolling backwards and throwing a knife as he sprang back to his feet. It sailed through the air and lodged in the assassin's left shoulder, causing him to stumble backwards in surprise.

Lee drew another throwing knife before charging The Blade, attempting to use the momentary distraction to his advantage and run him though with both weapons. But The Blade was ready, bringing his sword upwards in an uppercut manner. Korra cringed as she heard the vigilante cry out in pain. The throwing knife sailed away into the night as Lee clutched his left hand.

"Now, die," The Blade said, bringing his sword up in preparation to run the vigilante through. As he charged forward, Lee brought his kukri up and parried the sword to the side, slapping it out of the man's grasp before slamming his elbow into the assassin's mask.

Both sword and mask clattered to the ground as The Blade stumbled backwards from the blow, allowing Lee some breathing room. A safety feature activated on The Blade's sword, causing it to retreat into it's hilt. Lee took a quick glance at his wounded hand. Both his ring and pinky finger had been sliced off, leaving a pair of bloody stumps in their wake. Summoning what was left of his strength, he tried to push the pain out of his mind and focused upon his enemy.

Without the mask, he could now see The Blade's face clearly. His skin was painfully pale from the lack of sunlight. His skin was stretched taunt over his bone from a lack of food, and his eyes were sunken into his skull from a severe lack of sleep. Aside from this, Lee realized with horror that he knew this person.

"No...it can't be..." The assassin suddenly lunged forward, kicking his sword hilt up into his hand before extending the blade. The spring loaded weapon launched out of its hilt, straight through Lee's abdomen. Lee's eyes went wide and the air rushed out of his lungs. He looked down at the blade that had impaled him with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Amon will be pleased," The Blade said again in his monotone voice before withdrawing his sword with a quick yank.

"NO!" Korra screamed as Lee fell to the ground. In an instant she released the most powerful fire blasts in her life towards the assassin. The Blade quickly picked up his mask before diving over the railing and into the shadows, making a quick escape into the night. Racing over to the vigilante's side, Korra carefully began to turn him over. Even with a first glance, she could see that he wasn't in good shape.

"This isn't...exactly...how I saw...this ending," he panted as he looked up at her. Korra looked at him with a mixture of gratefulness and confusion.

"Why did you help me?" she asked. With a shaky hand, Lee reached up and lowered his hood and face wrap. The Avatar's blue eyes grew to the size of saucers as the realization hit that her friend had been the infamous vigilante all along.

"Must...really...like you," he said weakly before finally passing out from pain and blood loss. Korra blinked again and again before taking a quick breath to steady her nerves. She could freak out later. Right now, her friend needed her help.

"Oh no, you're not giving up on me that easily. You've got a lot of explaining to do, and you're not getting out of it," she said as she bent a blob of water onto the wound in his midsection. It wasn't enough to fully stop the bleeding, but it was enough to buy her time to get him to a better place to work on him.

Slinging the limp body of her friend over her shoulder, Korra began to hurry back to the rowboat that she had rode to the island. There was only one place she could think of that was safe enough to take him.

Lee's own apartment.

 **Oh dear, I've left you with a cliffhanger. Now Korra knows the secret, and Lee's life is on the line. What will happen? Drop a review, leave a PM, take a guess and I'll see you all next time.**


	9. Announcement

**So, here I am, touching this story after over a year of letting it set and stew. I ain't gonna make excuses. Between the Tempest series and then Ageless, this story got shuffled to the back burner, and then taken off the stove entirely. Although I may no longer write for this story, the concept behind it is still one that is at the forefront of my mind a lot of the time. So with that, I'm pleased to make an announcement:**

 **This story is getting a reboot!**

 **That's right, Edge of a Revolution is going to be broken down and started from scratch. Here's the catch though, the plot, the main character, pretty much all of it is going to change. The new story line is a complex one, and something that I truly hope you'll all enjoy. But for those of you who are fans of the original, I have a treat for you: the outline of where this story was going and what would have happened to our characters.**

 **What follows is pretty much everything I had planned for this thing:**

 **Lee, having lost two fingers on his left hand, would have been forced to adapt his fighting style as such.** **Korra would have turned her back on Lee for a short time, mainly because he lied to her and kept her in the dark about his work as the vigilante. However the events of the Pro Bending Finals would have had them working together to try and capture Amon, followed by them making up and entering a romantic relationship shortly afterward. Asami would have continued to help Lee up until the events of The Aftermath, when Lee would have stumbled across hard proof of Hiroshi's work with the Equalists; financial records, shipments, that sort of thing. And, you know, the Mecha Tanks. After this, she would have stepped up her game, going from his machinist to his partner in crime, so to speak.**

 **Haya would have remained ignorant of the vigilante's identity until after Equalists took control of the city, at which point she would have called a temporary truce with Lee in order to free her mother. After Amon's defeat, she goes right back to hunting Lee down, only this time with much more ferocity.**

 **The Blade would have been revealed to be Khan Feilong, Lee's brother. Amon spent years trying to prefect his bloodbending techniques, mainly using Khan as a practice dummy. As a result, he was stripped almost entirely of his humanity and became robotic in nature to escape the pain. The Blade and Lee's rivalry would have continued to grow until the final battle for Republic City, during which after a long battle, Lee would have finally killed The Blade by shooting him in the eye with an arrow.**

 **A lot of overall details would have remained the same as the original series. Korra would have still lost her bending, it was still her and Mako who confronted Amon at the rally, Asami, Bolin, and General Iroh still go to the airfield. However a few details did change. Asami and Mako remained together as a couple. Korra wouldn't have been as depressed at losing her bending, her time with Lee having taught her that you don't need bending to make a difference in the world like the Avatar is suppose to.**

 **Seeing as how I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do after the end of Book One, Edge of a Revolution would have stopped there. With Haya having outed Lee as the vigilante, he would have been forced to flee for his life. Korra and him would have parted with a final kiss, and then Lee would have ridden off on a motorcycle, his future unsure, but with the hope that one day he would be able to return.**

 **And that's pretty much it. I'm not entirely sure when the reboot will be posted, hopefully soon, but there's a lot of work on my plate for this month. So let me know what you think: would Lee have had a happy ending? Would he not? Are you eager to see what the reboot has in store? Let me know: drop a review, leave a PM, let me know what you guys liked, didn't like, or would have liked to seen, and I'll see you all next time around.**

 **Long Days and Pleasant Nights to you all**

 **-Jack.**


	10. Announcement 2

**Hey guys, Jack here with a quick update for you all. I probably should have done this sooner, but I've been busy with other projects until now so here it is. The first chapter of the remastered version of Edge has published. There's a new main character, new timeline, and new story. But it's still action packed. So please, go check that out, let me know what you think of it, and I'll see you all there!**


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